It can be difficult to understand quantum mechanics. That’s okay, because, in the early days of the Internet, few could understand how that worked.
Now, new developments in quantum communication may turbocharge just how quickly and securely information is delivered among us. Scientists demonstrated that such a system could work on our existing telecommunications infrastructure, they report in the journal Nature Communication.
This is kind of a big deal, because many physicists had thought that transmitting quantum information over any distance would require cryogenically cooling whatever kinds of cables needed to transmit it. They also weren’t sure if standard fiber optic cables would even work for such a process.
The scientists proved such super-cooling unnecessary by sending encryption information 158 miles between Frankfurt and Kehl, Germany. One key challenge they needed to overcome was achieving “optical coherence” — the ability to keep different parts of a light wave — or, ...
