Method and apparatus for generating and processing quantum signal in regular frame unit for quantum encryption key distribution

A transmitter for generating and processing quantum signals in regular frame units in a quantum key distribution system, the transmitter comprising:

• a photon pulse stream generator, implemented by one or more processors and/or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), configured to
• generate streaming of photon pulses including frame-unit quantum information, the frame-unit quantum information indicating quantum information that is generated in frame units, wherein each frame including the quantum information are numbered to have each corresponding frame number, and
• periodically transmit the frame-unit quantum information through a quantum channel without waiting to receive a frame reception and signal processing completion information from a receiver of the quantum key distribution system;
• a public channel transceiver, implemented by one or more processors and/or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), configured to communicate with the receiver of the quantum key distribution system through a public channel being a communication channel different with the quantum channel;
• a frame synchronization information generator, implemented by one or more processors and/or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), configured to
• generate frame synchronization information for frame synchronization of the receiver, and
• transmit the frame synchronization information through the public channel transceiver to the receiver, for every frame or every several frames;
• and
• first and second signal processors, implemented by one or more processors and/or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), configured to transmit and receive open information, together with the frame number information for a corresponding frame or a corresponding several frames, per on every frame or every several frames through the public channel transceiver, the open information being used in signal processing including pre-processing and post-processing for the corresponding frame or the corresponding several frames, and
• process the quantum information in frame units using the open information identified by the frame number information.