The
Huazhang Unversity of Science and Technology (HUST) and Ph.D. students from the
University of Witwatersrand (Wits) have collaborated to establish a way to
transfer data across fibre-optic networks securely. The breakthrough will
benefit both academia and business.
The feat, which was previously impossible, was overseen
by Wits professor, Andrew Forbes. The team successfully demonstrated how
multiple quantum patterns of light could be transmitted through fibre networks
that, under normal circumstances, only support singular quantum light patterns.
The
process uses existing, single-photon, quantum communication methods and couples
them with high-dimensional patterned light sequences, says Forbes.
Isaac Nabe, a Ph.D. student at Wits, reported
that their method proved that multi-dimensional light patterns are accessible
through conventional fibre. This ”quantum trick” is possible by engineering
the entanglement of two photons.
Quantum Entanglement has been researched in-depth over the last two decades. The Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is a notable example of this secure communication platform where the only parties privy to information or data shared are those communicating with one another.
The demonstration, which used 250m of single-mode fibre, showed conclusively that an infinite number of two-dimensional subspaces could be achieved via the transfer of multi-dimensional entanglement states. Each subspace has the capability of sending information and multiplexing information to multiple receivers.
Establishing more advanced quantum networks will allow for both academia and businesses to safely transfer information without third parties intercepting potentially sensitive information.
According to Gartner, more than 95% of companies looking into quantum computing, will use it as a service by 2023. Some 20% of companies will budget for quantum related products and services in efforts to contain costs and improve overall security.
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