Researchers in three countries—the Netherlands, China, and the U.S.—independently sent quantum bits (qubits) over fiber optic cables upwards of 22 miles. Interesting Engineering reported that this is the infancy of building a quantum internet.
The complexity of quantum communication lies in the fragility of qubits. Merely attempting to read them alters their state, posing a significant challenge. However, for the quantum internet to function, qubits must traverse fiber optic cables. Researchers have devised a method to store qubits in ‘quantum memory’ and transmit them across the fiber optic network.
The three research teams used varying testing methods:
- Delft University of Technology (Netherlands) successfully transmitted via 25-mile a fiber cable, using encoded qubits in the electrons of nitrogen atoms and nuclear states of carbon atoms of the small diamond crystals that housed them.
- At the University of Science and Technology of China, qubits were encoded into clouds of rubidium atoms. The quantum states were set using a photon, and the team recorded entanglement at labs at least six miles away.
- In the U.S., at Harvard University, a team used diamond-based devices with silicon atoms and used quantum states of both the electrons and nucleus. Testing demonstrated entanglement at two quantum memory nodes separated by an optical fiber link deployed over a looped distance of over 22 miles. This team set a record for storage, processing, and movement of quantum information, reported Interesting Engineering.
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