  An entanglement witness approach to quantum coherent state key distribution
and a system for its practical implementation are described. In this approach,
eavesdropping can be detected by a change in sign of either of two witness
functions, an entanglement witness S or an eavesdropping witness W. The effects
of loss and eavesdropping on system operation are evaluated as a function of
distance. Although the eavesdropping witness W does not directly witness
entanglement for the system, its behavior remains related to that of the true
entanglement witness S. Furthermore, W is easier to implement experimentally
than S. W crosses the axis at a finite distance, in a manner reminiscent of
entanglement sudden death. The distance at which this occurs changes measurably
when an eavesdropper is present. The distance dependance of the two witnesses
due to amplitude reduction and due to increased variance resulting from both
ordinary propagation losses and possible eavesdropping activity is provided.
Finally, the information content and secure key rate of a continuous variable
protocol using this witness approach are given.
