[News] Quantum Internet Edges Closer As Researchers Teleport Photons Six Kilometers

[StyM]

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/qua...ion,32735.html

Researchers from the University of Calgary, Canada, teleported a photon (particle of light) over a six kilometer distance through a ?dark fiber? cable. The accomplishment set a new record in quantum teleportation, getting us a little closer to having quantum networks, and ultimately a quantum internet.

Over the past few years, research into quantum computers and quantum networks has increased as more academics and technology companies began to believe that we may be close to figuring out just how to make these systems work, and then use them outside of the lab.

We?ve had D-Wave announce a more specialized type of quantum computer, and upgrading it every few years. More recently, we?ve had IBM and Google announce their working universal quantum computers. We?ve also had research that showed quantum computers could be built on silicon (as opposed to more expensive materials). Even the NSA has begun warning that the day when quantum computers will break existing forms of encryption is sooner than we think.

Quantum networks are a somewhat different area of research, but still relevant to the quantum field as a whole. If we can teleport information, we may be able to drastically increase the amount of information we can send through networks, and the speed at which we send it, too.

A quantum internet would be beneficial to quantum computers in the same way our regular internet is beneficial to traditional computers. Quantum networks could also aid in protecting communications against eavesdropping, although the jury is still out on how effective that would actually be.

?Being entangled means that the two photons that form an entangled pair have properties that are linked regardless of how far the two are separated,? explained Wolfgang Tittel, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Calgary and leader of the project.

?When one of the photons was sent over to City Hall, it remained entangled with the photon that stayed at the University of Calgary.?
The photon whose state was teleported to the university was then generated in a third location in Calgary, and then it also traveled to the City Hall, where it met the photon that was part of the entanglement pair.

?What happened is the instantaneous and disembodied transfer of the photon?s quantum state onto the remaining photon of the entangled pair, which is the one that remained six kilometres away at the university,? said Tittel.

"By opening The City?s dark fiber infrastructure to the private and public sector, non-profit companies, and academia, we help enable the development of projects like quantum encryption and create opportunities for further research, innovation and economic growth in Calgary,? said Tyler Andruschak, project manager with Innovation and Collaboration at The City of Calgary.

?The university receives secure access to a small portion of our fibre optic infrastructure and The City may benefit in the future by leveraging the secure encryption keys generated out of the lab?s research to protect our critical infrastructure. In order to deliver next-generation services to Calgarians, The City has been increasing its fibre optic footprint, connecting all City buildings, facilities and assets,? added Andruschak.

[AliG]

Ok that article is exceptionally misleading.

One does not "teleport" using fiber cables lol. That is merely guiding the path light energy took. 99% of the time these quantum computing articles are just complete bull written by people who have no idea about basic physics.

[StAndrew]

Ok that article is exceptionally misleading.

One does not "teleport" using fiber cables lol. That is merely guiding the path light energy took. 99% of the time these quantum computing articles are just complete bull written by people who have no idea about basic physics.

Quantum physics are not "basic physics." Quantum physics was established to describe observations that don't follow the basic Laws of physics as we understand them.

[AliG]

Quantum physics are not "basic physics." Quantum physics was established to describe observations that don't follow the basic Laws of physics as we understand them.

Doesn't change that I'm correct in saying most of these articles are written by people who don't understand basic physics.

But thanks for clarifying what we already knew.

[drmrlordx]

Then maybe we should look at the source article from UCalgary.com instead:

https://www.ucalgary.ca/utoday/issue...six-kilometres

Here's a journal article about it:

http://www.nature.com/nphoton/journa....2016.180.html

(sorry, probably paywalled but still)

[StAndrew]

Doesn't change that I'm correct in saying most of these articles are written by people who don't understand basic physics.

But thanks for clarifying what we already knew.

What does understanding basic physics have to do with understanding quantum physics?

[AliG]

Then maybe we should look at the source article from UCalgary.com instead:

https://www.ucalgary.ca/utoday/issue...six-kilometres

Here's a journal article about it:

http://www.nature.com/nphoton/journa....2016.180.html

(sorry, probably paywalled but still)

Interesting. So really the accomplishment is in trasfering the quantum state, not actually the "teleportation" as the tomshardware article called. That is genuinely impressive.

What does understanding basic physics have to do with understanding quantum physics?

*facepalm*

[StAndrew]

Ok that article is exceptionally misleading.

One does not "teleport" using fiber cables lol. That is merely guiding the path light energy took. 99% of the time these quantum computing articles are just complete bull written by people who have no idea about basic physics.

Interesting. So really the accomplishment is in trasfering the quantum state, not actually the "teleportation" as the tomshardware article called. That is genuinely impressive.

Now you're getting it. Next time you want to correct someone, make sure you know what you're talking about

[AliG]

Now you're getting it. Next time you want to correct someone, make sure you know what you're talking about

Don't even get started there. I've got degrees in electrical engineering and abstract mathematics. If I call out an author for doing hand waiving, it's because I know PRECISELY what I'm talking about. First author did not have a clue, journal article writers did.

Have a nice day. Added you to the ignore list.

[StAndrew]

Don't even get started there. I've got degrees in electrical engineering and abstract mathematics. If I call out an author for doing hand waiving, it's because I know PRECISELY what I'm talking about. First author did not have a clue, journal article writers did.

Have a nice day. Added you to the ignore list.

Congratulations. Now pray tell me, what is your solution to this calamity? Should the journalist get a quantum physics degree before writing an article on quantum physics discoveries? Or perchance should the quantum physicist write their own journalistic pieces from now on? Given the statement from the University of Calgary "The photon whose state was teleported to the university was then generated in a third location in Calgary, and then it also traveled to the City Hall, where it met the photon that was part of the entanglement pair" I think the journalist did a good job reporting and clearly had a better handle on the subject than you gave him credit for.

But if tooting your horn makes you feel good about yourself, toot away...

[Cold Fussion]

I really don't understand the problem, the tomshardware article is essentially just paraphrase of the article on the University of Calgary site and it clearly states the quantum state of two entangled photons was kept as it was transferred over fibre. I don't understand how that is at all misleading.

[drmrlordx]

Interesting. So really the accomplishment is in trasfering the quantum state, not actually the "teleportation" as the tomshardware article called. That is genuinely impressive.

Yeah, it's movement of the quantum state, not the particle itself. Which is basically what I expected but that's okay. I only know a bit about "spooky action at a distance". One thing I was hoping they'd cover in the UCalgary article was whether or not the transfer or state from one entangled photon to the next was indeed instantaneous, or whether it had any propagation delay. I've seen hundreds of times on Slashdot (and elsewhere) where some quantum physics fanatic assumes that transfer of state is in fact instantaneous, only to be smacked down by skeptics that assume that all observable physical phenomena have a maximum propagation speed of c (the speed of light). The UCalgary article didn't quite touch on that point specifically . . . or not that I gleaned from reading it anyway. Maybe I'm just being unobservant.

Even still, the crypto community will love it since it could theoretically allow the transfer of classical information via alterations of state once the entangled pairs have been split apart, making interception of information virtually impossible.

I really don't understand the problem, the tomshardware article is essentially just paraphrase of the article on the University of Calgary site and it clearly states the quantum state of two entangled photons was kept as it was transferred over fibre. I don't understand how that is at all misleading.

Wellll this quote was misleading:

Researchers from the University of Calgary, Canada, teleported a photon (particle of light) over a six kilometer distance through a ?dark fiber? cable. The accomplishment set a new record in quantum teleportation, getting us a little closer to having quantum networks, and ultimately a quantum internet.

While this quote was not so misleading:

?Being entangled means that the two photons that form an entangled pair have properties that are linked regardless of how far the two are separated,? explained Wolfgang Tittel, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Calgary and leader of the project.

?When one of the photons was sent over to City Hall, it remained entangled with the photon that stayed at the University of Calgary.?
The photon whose state was teleported to the university was then generated in a third location in Calgary, and then it also traveled to the City Hall, where it met the photon that was part of the entanglement pair.

?What happened is the instantaneous and disembodied transfer of the photon?s quantum state onto the remaining photon of the entangled pair, which is the one that remained six kilometres away at the university,? said Tittel.

[StAndrew]

Even still, the crypto community will love it since it could theoretically allow the transfer of classical information via alterations of state once the entangled pairs have been split apart, making interception of information virtually impossible.

The radar guys love it too. China just claimed they have a quantum radar capable of detection far greater than anything we've been able to achieve. The radar uses the same principles of quantum entanglement.

[drmrlordx]

Radar huh? I'd love to see a discussion of that tech, not that the ChiComs are likely to cooperate.