In this paper we study the performance and feasibility of integrating a novel key encapsulation protocol into Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). The key encapsulation protocol includes a challenge-response pair (CRP). In our design, Alice and Bob derive identical cryptographic tables from shared challenges, allowing the ephemeral key to be encoded and recovered without disclosing helper data. Software simulations show error-free key recovery for quantum channel bit error rates up to 40% when using longer response lengths. Additionally, we designed the protocol to detect eavesdropping solely from the statistics of the received quantum stream, without sacrificing key bits for public comparison. We formalize the encoding and decoding model, analyze trade-offs between response length and latency, and report key recovery and error detection performance across different noise levels. The results indicate that this CRP-based multi-wavelength QKD protocol can reduce the reliance on classical reconciliation while preserving security in noisy settings.

This work considers the performance and feasibility of a challenge-response pair (CRP)-based key generation method integrated with multi-wavelength Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). In this design, Alice and Bob use independently derived information from the CRP mechanism to encode and recover the key without disclosing helper data. Simulations show that even when up to 40% of the data is corrupted, error-free key recovery is possible with longer response lengths. Another new advantage of this method is that eavesdropper detection is performed using only the statistics of the received quantum stream, as opposed to sacrificing a portion of the key for public comparison, as is required in other QKD schemes. The CRP mechanism and encoding scheme are explained, and the results of key recovery and error detection across various levels of data corruption are presented. The results show that according to the studied conditions, reliable key recovery and eavesdropper detection are possible without publicly comparing the key or using helper data, and it suggests that this approach can reduce classical reconciliation reliance and allow for reliable key recovery in noisy settings without extending security thresholds.