In a groundbreaking development, researchers have designed a new kind of transmitter-receiver that has the capability to send entangled photons over an optical fiber. This innovation has the potential to pave the way for a future „quantum internet“ that could be seamlessly integrated with current telecommunications technologies.
The concept of a quantum internet holds immense promise, as it could leverage the phenomenon of quantum entanglement to create uncrackable encryption. Even the most advanced quantum computers, which are still in the developmental phase, would be unable to breach the security of a quantum internet. This could revolutionize the way data is transmitted and secured in the digital age.
„To make the quantum internet a reality, we need to transmit entangled photons via fiber optic networks,“ explains Michael Kues from Leibniz University Hannover in Germany. „We also want to continue using optical fibers for conventional data transmission. Our research is an important step to combine the conventional internet with the quantum internet.“
The research, led by Kues and his team, has been detailed in a paper published in the journal Science Advances. The current methods for transmitting quantum entangled information along optical fibers involve spectral multiplexing, which combines a mixture of photon frequencies with the entangled information to be unmixed at the receiving end. However, the researchers believe that more resource-efficient approaches are necessary for the advancement of quantum internet technology.
One of the challenges faced in transmitting entangled photons through optical fibers has been the interference with conventional data transmission. As Jan Heine, a doctoral student in Kues‘ group, explains, „The entangled photons block a data channel in the optical fiber, preventing its use for conventional data transmission.“ This limitation has spurred the researchers to explore innovative solutions to overcome this obstacle.
The breakthrough in the research lies in the ability to change the color of a laser pulse using a high-speed electrical signal to match the color of the entangled photon in an optical fiber. Philip Rübeling, the first author of the study, elaborates on this technique, stating, „We can change the color of a laser pulse with a high-speed electrical signal so that it matches the color of the entangled photons. This effect enables us to combine laser pulses and entangled photons of the same color in an optical fiber and separate them again.“
This method opens up the possibility of merging today’s internet infrastructure with the quantum internet, allowing photons to be sent in the same color channel for both quantum and conventional internet transmission. Kues emphasizes the significance of this experiment, stating, „Our experiment shows how the practical implementation of hybrid networks can succeed.“
In conclusion, the development of a transmitter-receiver that can send entangled photons over optical fibers represents a significant advancement in the field of quantum internet technology. By bridging the gap between conventional and quantum internet transmission, this research has the potential to revolutionize data security and communication networks in the future. The integration of quantum encryption with existing telecommunications infrastructure could herald a new era of secure and efficient data transmission.