An international team from Wits and ICFO- the Institute of Photonic Sciences published research in Nature Communications, titled "Quantum transport of high-dimensional spatial information with a nonlinear detector," demonstrating a teleportation-like transfer of light patterns, revolutionizing quantum communication.
The team said it is a significant step towards transporting images across a network without physically sending them. This advancement is crucial for realizing a quantum network with high-dimensional entangled states.
Quantum Teleportation Enhances Network Security
The teleportation of quantum states is anticipated to be a key player in securing future information networks. Despite previous progress, the existing process is slow and cumbersome. Scientists are exploring a novel approach that efficiently teleports light states to construct images, using just a pair of entangled photons.
A collaborative team from South Africa, Germany, and Spain envisions this innovation contributing to the development of secure networks. The idea is that if the key data isn't physically transmitted, it becomes impervious to theft.
Physicist Andrew Forbes from the University of the Witwatersrand explains that traditionally information is physically sent between communicating parties, even in the quantum realm. However, with this advancement, information can be teleported without physically traversing the connection - turning a Star Trek concept into reality.
The research is built upon the concept of quantum entanglement, where separated particles remain connected through quantum physics. In this study, two entangled photons carried more information than usual, allowing for the encoding of images.
While not a traditional teleportation, the measurement of a specific feature on one particle immediately influences the corresponding feature on the other, essentially transmitting its quantum state. Although the information itself isn't physically transferred, creating a quantum watermark provides a secure way to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access.
Possible Application of Quantum Teleportation
Quantum communication, vital for information security, has advanced with the first experimental demonstration of teleporting high-dimensional states using just two entangled photons. Achieving a state-of-the-art 15 dimensions, this breakthrough paves the way for scalable quantum network connections with enhanced information capacity.
In the proposed quantum transport scheme, a customer can securely transmit sensitive information, like a fingerprint, to a bank without physically sending the data. Instead, the bank sends a single photon (part of an entangled pair) to the customer, who combines it with the desired information using a nonlinear detector.
This process makes the information appear at the bank as if it had been teleported, establishing a quantum link without the risk of interception. Although a bright laser beam is currently required for the nonlinear detector, making it not strictly teleportation, it introduces a novel approach for connecting quantum networks and encourages advancements in nonlinear quantum optics.
While the current configuration offers a high-dimensional secure channel for quantum communications between two parties, caution is advised due to the potential for a dishonest sender to retain better copies of the information. The researchers emphasize the need for further developments in nonlinear optics to enhance efficiency and move closer to a full quantum implementation.
Despite limitations, the demonstrated configuration holds promise for practical applications in establishing secure quantum channels, particularly in scenarios where single photons are not required, such as with quantum repeaters.
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