[Submitted on 26 Feb 2026 (v1), last revised 26 Jul 2026 (this version, v3)]

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Abstract:Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is a foundational cryptographic protocol that ensures information-theoretic security. However, classical protocols such as BB84, though favored for their simplicity, offer limited resistance to eavesdropping, and perform poorly under realistic noise conditions. Recent research has explored the use of discrete-time Quantum Walks (QWs) to enhance QKD schemes. In this work, we specifically focus on a one-way QKD protocol, where security depends exclusively on the underlying Quantum Walk (QW) topology, rather than the details of the protocol itself. Our paper introduces a novel protocol based on QWs over a hypercube topology and demonstrates that, under identical parameters, it provides significantly enhanced security and noise resistance compared to the circular topology (i.e., state-of-the-art), thereby strengthening protection against eavesdropping. Furthermore, we introduce an efficient and extensible simulation framework for one-way QKD protocols based on QWs, supporting both circular and hypercube topologies. Implemented with IBM's software development kit for quantum computing (i.e., Qiskit), our toolkit enables noise-aware analysis under realistic noise models. To support reproducibility and future developments, we release our entire simulation framework as open-source. This contribution establishes a foundation for the design of topology-aware QKD protocols that combine enhanced noise tolerance with topologically driven security.

Submission history

From: David Polzoni [view email]
[v1] Thu, 26 Feb 2026 17:35:53 UTC (434 KB)
[v2] Sun, 19 Apr 2026 12:45:30 UTC (478 KB)
[v3] Sun, 26 Jul 2026 05:28:39 UTC (455 KB)