Secret-Key Distribution Based on Bounded Observability

Abstract

This paper reviews an approach to secret-key distribution based on the bounded observability (BO) model. First, the information-theoretic framework of secret-key agreement from a correlated random source is reviewed. Next, the BO model is introduced. In the context of this model, the BO condition is presented as a necessary and sufficient condition for the possibility of secret-key distribution. This condition describes limits on the information obtained by observation of a random object, and models the practical difficulty of completely observing random physical phenomena. Finally, an implementation of secret-key distribution based on BO in an optical fiber system is described.