Quantum computers have been hailed as the future of computing, with faster, more secure, and widely improved efficiency incentives for the rapid growth of the quantum market over the past decade. Now, researchers in collaboration with technology companies are claiming that the first successful long-range quantum teleportation has been completed, a breakthrough that could pave the way for the quantum Internet to become a reality. Their results were published in PRX Quantum.
Panagiotis Spentzouris, head of the Fermilab quantum science program and one of the paper’s co-authors said in a statement, “We are thrilled with these results.”This is a key achievement on the road to creating a technology that will redefine how our global communications are handled.” But what are a quantum computer and quantum internet?
At first, we need to understand how traditional theatrical computers work before their space-age cousins sink. Computers operate using inputs called bits, which are either “on” or “off”, which are assigned “1” or “0” numbers. From these inputs, you can increase the processing power of a computer chip by inserting more switches on a computer chip that can quickly process a large number of calculations and be 1 or 0.
Now, let’s introduce quantum states in the mixture. Quantum particles are strategically small particles that can exist in three states rather than two. On the computer, these can be 1, 0, or both at the same time (known as superposition). These represent a variety of inputs known as quits and they form the basis of quantum computing.
To achieve a full quantum internet, these quotes must be transferred from one device to another over a long distance, just like how a lot of ‘normal’ internet works. But like everything Quantum, Ethernet is more complex than just passing it. The researchers wanted to achieve quantum teleportation, a feat that Quit used to engage in sophisticated fiber networks.
Quantum particles have a strange ability to be attached to each other, to be ‘entangled’ together. If the pairs of particles involved are divided into two separate positions, it is theoretically possible to transmit data between them over long distances. Anyway, a number of issues have prevented quantum teleportation from becoming a reality. For example, one theory states that you cannot copy quantum data exactly (no-cloning theorem), and so transmission through a distance can be incredible.
Using off-the-shelf technology, researchers were finally able to complete long-distance quantum teleportation. They successfully relocated habits over a distance of 40 kilometers (227.3 miles) with 90% fidelity (how much ‘accurate’ information), an achievement that no organization has been able to achieve before. Researchers believe that this is a huge step towards the future of computing and communication.
A quantum Internet can be a game-changer for the world of technology as we know data faster, more secure, and probably impossible to steal with. Moving from a conventional computer to a quantum computer is a dream of many researchers and it is increasingly likely to become a reality. There is still a way to go before the quantum internet becomes a reality. Quantum particles are still extremely difficult to study and measure and reliability must also be improved before data can be transmitted.
In addition, such a network is certainly going to be very expensive and therefore not effective for most networks in the near future, but we can dream. Nevertheless, achieving quantum teleportation is a final committed step.
Maria Spiropulu, Shang-Yi Ch’en professor of physics at Caltech and director of the IN-Q-NET research program, in a statement, “We are very proud to have achieved this milestone in sustainable, high-performance and scalable quantum teleportation systems.”The results will be further improved with the system upgrade. We hope it will end in Q2 2021.“
