Indoor channel modeling for continuous variable quantum key distribution in the terahertz band

Continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CVQKD) in an indoor scenario can provide secure wireless access for practical short-distance communications with high rates. However, a suitable channel model for implementing the indoor CVQKD system has not been considered before. Here, we establish an indoor channel model to show the feasibility of CVQKD in terahertz (THz) band. We adopt both active and passive state preparation schemes to demonstrate the performance of the indoor CVQKD system involving multi-path propagation. We achieve the channel transmittance characterized by frequency, water-vapor density, antenna gain, reflection loss and the surrounding itself. The ray-tracing based numerical simulations show that the multi-path propagation can degrade the performance of the indoor CVQKD system. The maximum transmission distance is two meters at 410 GHz for both active and passive state preparations, and it can be extended to 35 and 20 meters respectively by using high gain antenna to combat the multi-path propagation. (C) 2020 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement