my periodic rant on quantum crypto

[David Honig]

At 03:37 PM 4/12/04 -0400, Perry E. Metzger wrote:
>
>QC can only run over a dedicated fiber over a short run, where more
>normal mechanisms can work fine over any sort of medium -- copper, the
>PSTN, the internet, etc, and can operate without distance limitation.


Nice essay.  I especially liked the discussion of authentication.

Its also the case AFAIK that the quantum-carrying fiber
can only carry one photon at a time.  (Perhaps you can multiplex
different frequencies, if your demultiplexor doesn't change the
quantum properties).  Now while there *is* a lot of dark fiber,
sending one photon at a time is a pretty good way to keep the
construction crews digging up roads :-) 

Similar quantum-hype is sometimes argued in RNG discussions
by those with very narrow views of what an RNG needs and
consists of.



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