Enhancing Asymmetric MDI-QKD Performance with Advantage Distillation

Measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (MDI-QKD) eliminates security loopholes caused by imperfect detection device terminals. The symmetric MDI-QKD model is commonly used in simulations and experiments, but it is not representative of real quantum networks where channel losses vary considerably. To address this issue, an asymmetric MDI-QKD model has been proposed. However, improving the performance of this model is a critical research area. This paper introduces an advantage distillation (AD) step that enhances the performance of asymmetric MDI-QKD without altering the original key distribution process. Simulation results demonstrate that the AD method can improve both the secret key rate and transmission distance. Therefore, this scheme has the potential to significantly advance the development of future MDI-QKD networks.