Common-signal-induced synchronization in photonic integrated circuits and its application to secure key distribution
Résumé
We experimentally achieve common-signal-induced synchronization in two photonic integrated circuits with short external cavities driven by a constant-amplitude random-phase light. The degree of synchronization can be controlled by changing the optical feedback phase of the two photonic integrated circuits. The change in the optical feedback phase leads to a significant redistribution of the spectral energy of optical and RF spectra, which is a unique characteristic of PICs with the short external cavity. The matching of the RF and optical spectra is necessary to achieve synchronization between the two PICs, and stable synchronization can be obtained over an hour in the presence of optical feedback. We succeed in generating information-theoretic secure keys and achieving the final key generation rate of 184 kb/s using the PICs. © 2017 Optical Society of America.
Mots clés
Cesium compounds
Feedback
Information theory
Integrated circuits
Optical feedback
Photonic devices
Synchronization
Timing circuits
Constant amplitude
External cavity
ITS applications
Key generation rate
Optical spectra
Photonic integrated circuits
Secure key distribution
Spectral energy
Photonic integration technology