Unconditionally Secure Quantum Communications via Decoherence-Free Subspaces

We show how to use decoherence-free subspaces over collective-noise quantum channels to convey classical information in perfect secrecy. We argue that codes defined over decoherence-free subspaces are codes for quantum wiretap channels in which the gain of information by a non-authorized third part is zero. We also show that if some symmetry conditions are guaranteed, the maximum rate on which such secret communications take place is equal to the ordinary capacity of a quantum channel to convey classical information. As a consequence of these results, we show how some protocols for secure communication can be simplified, reducing significantly the number of communications performed.