Understanding Quantum Key Distribution: The Role of Entanglement in Keeping Information Safe

Abstract

In the growing digital age, where information flows seamlessly across the globe, data security has emerged as a critical concern for individuals, businesses, and governments alike. As modern society faces these challenges, the dynamic mechanisms of quantum mechanics offer transformative potential—not only in breaking complex computational barriers but also in enhancing the technological landscape with unprecedented solutions for secure communication and groundbreaking discoveries. As a subset of quantum computing, quantum entanglement is a complex phenomenon that utilizes entangled qubits to offer unique advantages, such as error resiliency and faster computational abilities. With the help of entanglement and qubits, two entangled, indistinguishable particles can be linked even at large distances. Not only does quantum entanglement provide profound opportunities for the future in dynamic computational powers, but it also provides promising results for its implication in Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). With the help of quantum entanglement, eavesdropping over network channels will disrupt a qubit’s entangled state and thus alert of possible unauthorized access as part of QKD. This paper will discuss the relationship of quantum entanglement to QKD, QKD protocols currently using quantum entanglement, the advantages and disadvantages of entanglement-based QKD, and the current research directions for entanglement-based QKD protocols.