Quantum communication with an accelerated partner

An unsolved problem in relativistic quantum information research is how to model efficient, directional quantum communication between localized parties in a fully quantum field-theoretical framework. We propose a tractable approach to this problem based on calculating expectation values of localized field observables in the Heisenberg picture. We illustrate our approach by analyzing, and obtaining approximate analytical solutions to, the problem of communicating coherent states between an inertial sender, Alice, and an accelerated receiver, Rob. We use these results to determine the efficiency with which continuous variable quantum key distribution could be carried out over such a communication channel.