Abstract

Quantum cryptography relies on the fact that single quantum states can not be cloned. In this way coding information on single photons would ensure a secure transmission of encryption keys. First attempts for quantum cryptography systems were based on attenuated laser pulses. However the poissonian distribution of the photon number does not guarantee both the uniqueness of the emitted photon and a high bit-rate. Therefore a key milestone for efficient and secure quantum cryptography systems is the development of single photon sources.

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