Post by indianaslim on Oct 25, 2015 17:20:26 GMT
Scientists report they've broken the distance record for quantum teleportation. While the feat sounds like something similar to Star Trek's "beam up," quantum teleportation is the act of transferring or reconstructing data carried in light particles.
The scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) managed to transfer this quantum information from one photon to another over 100 km of optical fiber (with an average fidelity of around 83 percent), which is four times farther than the previous record. The achievement is a big one, although it may not sound like much.
For a while quantum data could only be transferred across short distances, and still much of the information would get lost. NIST’s Marty Stevens, a co-author on the study, explained, “Only about 1 percent of photons make it all the way through 100 km of fiber. We never could have done this experiment without these new detectors, which can measure this incredibly weak signal.”
So, what does this achievement mean for the rest of us? NIST explained in a press release: “Teleportation is useful in both quantum communications and quantum computing, which offer prospects for novel capabilities such as unbreakable encryption and advanced code-breaking, respectively.” Maybe we could finally break that encrypted message aliens have been trying to send to us.
The scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) managed to transfer this quantum information from one photon to another over 100 km of optical fiber (with an average fidelity of around 83 percent), which is four times farther than the previous record. The achievement is a big one, although it may not sound like much.
For a while quantum data could only be transferred across short distances, and still much of the information would get lost. NIST’s Marty Stevens, a co-author on the study, explained, “Only about 1 percent of photons make it all the way through 100 km of fiber. We never could have done this experiment without these new detectors, which can measure this incredibly weak signal.”
So, what does this achievement mean for the rest of us? NIST explained in a press release: “Teleportation is useful in both quantum communications and quantum computing, which offer prospects for novel capabilities such as unbreakable encryption and advanced code-breaking, respectively.” Maybe we could finally break that encrypted message aliens have been trying to send to us.