Group secret key generation over broadcast erasure channels

We consider a group of m trusted nodes that aim to create a shared secret key K over a wireless channel in the presence an eavesdropper Eve. We assume an erasure broadcast channel from one of the honest nodes to the rest of them including Eve. All of the trusted nodes can also discuss over a cost-free public channel which is observed by Eve. For this setup we characterize the secret key generation capacity and propose an achievability scheme that is computationally efficient and employs techniques from network coding. Surprisingly, whether we have m = 2 nodes, or an arbitrary number m of nodes, we can establish a shared secret key among them at the same rate, independently of m.