A new relativistic orthogonal states quantum key distribution protocol

A new relativistic orthogonal states quantum key distribution protocol. The MIT Faculty has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters. We introduce a new relativistic orthogonal states quantum key distribution protocol which leverages the properties of both quantum mechanics and special relativity to securely encode multiple bits onto the spatio-temporal modes of a single photon. If the protocol is implemented using a single photon source, it can have a key generation rate faster than the repetition rate of the source, enabling faster secure communication than is possible with existing protocols. Further, we provide a proof that the protocol is secure and give a method of implementing the protocol using line-of-sight and fiber optic channels.