About the project
The objective of this project is to integrate quantum communication into emerging wireless networks, paving the way for a global quantum network in time for 6G.
Continuous-variable QKD (CV-QKD) modulates its information onto the phase or amplitude of the electromagnetic wave. This enables quantum-secured applications such as banking and healthcare to be delivered using off-the-shelf wireless transceivers.
Nonetheless, the current wireless CV-QKD systems face two significant limitations:
- firstly, transmission distance is constrained by both atmospheric turbulence and the multipath effect in electromagnetic wave propagation;
- secondly, the generation rate of secret key is orders of magnitude lower than the classical communication data rate.
To mitigate these challenges, on the one hand, 5G-compliant error correction codes will be designed for enhancing CV-QKD’s robustness against channel impairments. On the other hand, leveraging the principal waveform of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) in 5G, the secret key rate is expected to increase with the number of OFDM subcarriers, thereby optimizing wireless spectrum access.
This frontier research will address key national strategies: the National Quantum Strategy, the EPSRC Strategic Delivery Plan 2022-2025, the Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 and National Cyber Strategy 2022, and the Net Zero Strategy.
This project will be supervised by Dr Chao Xu, the first researcher from the University of Southampton to achieve the highest score 100/100 in the EU’s Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) fellowship proposal evaluation.
This project will provide a unique cross-disciplinary training to an aspiring PhD student. The PhD student and supervisors will also intensively collaborate with industrial collaborators. Moreover, the knowledge gleaned by this project will be transferred to students through teaching by the supervisors, which will inspire more Southampton students to quantum research.