Analysis of information reconciliation algorithms with randomness extractors in quantum key distribution post-processing

Quantum key distribution (QKD) enables secure communication by leveraging quantum principles, but its practical implementation relies heavily on efficient post-processing to correct errors and enhance privacy. This study evaluates the performance of post-processing in QKD systems by simulating two information reconciliation algorithms, Cascade and Winnow, paired with different randomness extractors, including the widely used Toeplitz, DExtractor, and a newer Circulant extractor. Through simulations on a standard 11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-11400H CPU, we analyze processing time, final seed length, final key length, and channel usage under varying quantum bit error rates (QBER). Overall, the Toeplitz and Circulant extractors exhibit comparable performance, making Circulant a viable alternative in a specific security context. This work provides practical insights for optimizing QKD post-processing in real-world applications.