German Team Demonstrates Quantum Communication Over an Existing 254km Fibre Optic Network
aliks writes:
The story itself is interesting as quantum messaging over existing networks dramatically reduces costs, but I wanted to compare how different sources report the story.
The story caught my eye on phys.org where you get a short but reasonable summary with pictures. Maybe phys.org used AI to generate this summary?
scienmag.com has a longer summary with more detail and commentary on why the story is significant.
The original story is reported in Nature, with more detail and dense technical language.
First off we have phys.org: Quantum messages travel 254 km using existing infrastructure for the first time
Quantum messages sent across a 254-km telecom network in Germany represent the first known report of coherent quantum communications using existing commercial telecommunication infrastructure.
The demonstration, reported in Nature this week, suggests that quantum communications can be achieved in real-world conditions.
Quantum networks have the potential to enable secure communications, such as a quantum internet; quantum key distribution is one example of a theoretically secure communication technique.
Exploiting the coherence of light waves (their potential to interact predictably) can extend the range of quantum communications, but scalability has been limited by the need for specialized equipment, such as cryogenic coolers.
An approach that enables the distribution of quantum information through optical fiber cables, without the need for cryogenic cooling, is described by Mirko Pittaluga and colleagues.
Their system uses a coherence-based twin-field quantum key distribution, which facilitates the distribution of secure information over long distances.
The quantum communications network was deployed over three telecommunication data centers in Germany (Frankfurt, Kehl and Kirchfeld), connected by 254 km of commercial optical fiber-a new record distance for real-world and practical quantum key distribution, according to the authors.
This demonstration indicates that advanced quantum communications protocols that exploit the coherence of light can be made to work over existing telecom infrastructure."
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