During the last 20 years, the advance of communication technologies has generated multiple exciting applications. However, classical cryptography, commonly adopted to secure current communication systems, can be jeopardised by the advent of quantum computers. Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a promising technology aiming to solve such a security problem. Unfortunately, current implementations of QKD systems show relatively low key rates, demand low channel noise and use ad hoc devices. In this work, we picture how to overcome the rate limitation by using a 37-core fibre to generate 2.86 Mbit s⁻¹ per core that can be space multiplexed into the highest secret key rate of 105.7 Mbit s⁻¹ to date. We also demonstrate, with off-the-shelf equipment, the robustness of the system by co-propagating a classical signal at 370 Gbit s\({}^{-1}\), paving the way for a shared quantum and classical communication network.

在过去的20年中，通信技术的发展已产生了许多令人兴奋的应用程序。但是，量子计算机的问世可能会危及通常用于保护当前通信系统的经典加密技术。量子密钥分发（QKD）是一种有前途的技术，旨在解决这种安全问题。不幸的是，当前的QKD系统实现显示出较低的密钥速率，要求的低信道噪声并使用了临时设备。在这项工作中，我们描述了如何通过使用37芯光纤来克服速率限制，每个纤芯产生2.86 Mbit s ^-1，可以将其空间复用为105.7 Mbit s ^-1的最高秘密密钥速率。迄今为止。我们还使用现成的设备通过共同传播370 Gbit s \（{} ^ {-1} \）的经典信号来证明系统的鲁棒性，为共享的量子和经典通信铺平了道路。网络。