New world record for communication with quantum encryption

A new distance record for secure quantum communication, a very promising innovation.

In Beijing, researchers have set a new world record for secure direct quantum computing (QSDC) communication with 102.2 km, beating the previous record of 18 km, according to The Eurasian Times. The transmission speed is extremely low, 0.54 bits per second, but sufficient to encrypt text messages and phone calls over a distance of 30 km, explains lead researcher Long Guilu in Nature. This could make communication possible without the risk of being hacked, since the slightest attempt to eavesdrop on the quantum line is immediately detected.

New Distance Record for Secure Quantum Communication

QSDC uses the principle of obfuscation to secure networks. Quantum physics states that two particles form a bound system. In other words, if you change the properties of one by measuring it, the other will instantly reflect that change, effectively making any hack impossible. Theoretically, the particles remain bound even if they are several light-years apart. Therefore, such systems should work over long distances.

The same research group set the previous fiber record and developed an “innovative physical system design with a new protocol”to achieve this long distance. They simplified everything by eliminating the “complex active compensation subsystem”used in the previous model. “This provides an extremely low quantum bit error rate (QBER) and long-term immunity to environmental noise.”

Very promising new

As a result of operation, the system can collect much more channel loss, which makes it impossible to decode encrypted messages. And this eventually made it possible to increase the fiber from 28.3 to 102.2 km. “This experiment shows that secure direct communication via quantum computing over fiber is possible with current technology,” explains the team at Nature.

Chinese researchers have previously achieved a satellite video call protected by quantum computing, but fiber poses a number of new challenges. “If we replace elements of the modern Internet where there are more eavesdropping attempts with quantum channels, these elements will have the ability to detect and prevent eavesdropping, making communications even more secure,” Long Guilu explained.