Quantum computers, regarded as the future of computing, have seen rapid growth in the quantum market over the past decade, with a glimpse of faster, more secure and large-scale advanced capabilities.
Now, researchers in collaboration with Technole of G companies are claiming to have completed the first successful long-distance quantum telepotation, a breakthrough that sends a way to make quantum internet a reality. Their results were published in PRX Quantum.
“We are thrilled with these results,” said Fermilab, head of the Quantum Science program and one of the paper’s co-authors.
“This is an important milestone in the way technology is built that will redefine how global communications will operate.”
But what is a quantum computer and a quantum internet?
Well, first we need to understand how traditional computers work before we can study their space-age cousins. Computers work using inputs known as bits, which are either ‘on’ or ‘f’, assigned to the numbers ‘1’ or ‘0’. From these inputs, the computer can process a large number of calculations faster, and by filling more switches into a computer chip that can be 1 or 0, you can increase the processing power of the computer chip.
Now, let us introduce quantum states in a mixture. Quantum particles are difficult small particles that may exist in three states compared to standard two. In a computer, it can be 1, 0, or both at the same time (called superposition). These represent a variety of inputs known as qubits, and they form the basis of quantum computing.
To achieve full quantum internet, these quits must be transferred over long distances from one device to another, just like how ‘normal’ internet works. But like everything Quantum, the movement of data is more complicated than simply passing an Ethernet cable.
Researchers want to achieve quantum teleportation, a feat that involves passing through a sophisticated fiber network using Quibs attanglement. Quantum particles have a strange ability to bind to each other, ‘trapped’ together. If a trapped pair of particles is shared between two different locations, it is possible to transmit information between them – theoretically over long distances. However, a number of issues have prevented quantum teleport from becoming a reality. For example, one theory states that you cannot exactly copy quantum information (a no-cloning theorem), and therefore transmission over distances can be unreliable.
Using she-the-shelf technology, the researchers were finally able to complete the long-distance quantum teleport. They successfully relocated bits at a distance of 44 kilometers (2.3 miles) with 0% carrying (how ‘accurate’ information is), a feat no company has achieved before. Researchers believe this is a huge step towards the future of computing and communications.
Quantum Internet will be a game-changer for the technological world, as we know, data faster, more secure and not possible to steal. The move from conventional computers to quantum computers is a dream of many researchers, and it is highly likely that this will become a reality.
There is still a long way to go before quantum internet is a viable reality. Quantum particles are still very difficult to study and measure, and loyalty must also be improved before reliable data transmission can take place. With that said, such a network will almost certainly become very expensive and therefore not tidy for most networks in the near future, but we can dream of. Despite this, achieving quantum telepotation is a very promising step.
“We are very proud of this achievement on sustainable, high-performance and scalable quantum teleportation systems,” said Maria Spiropulu, professor of physics at Caltech and Maria Spiropulu, director of the IN-Q-Net research program. In a statement.
“The results will be further improved with the system upgrades we expect to complete by Q2 2021.”
