Researchers Use 20th Century Radio Tech To Improve Modern Day Internet Security

By taking cue from the developments in quantum computing of the 20th century to build a quantum light that could better today's internet security technologies, the scientists from Stanford University have proven that it is sometimes fruitful to go back in time. The dynamics of quantum communication do not allow the use of standard lasers as these emit what is called ‘classical’ light. This classical light is severely prone to data eavesdropping; it allows easy extraction of data without detection.

Quantum internet would be based on quantum of data, i.e., small, fixed, packets of data. Here, a single unit of light, or a photon, cannot be measured without being destroyed. Thus, an efficient source of quantum light would enable perfectly secure communication.

Quantum-Laser-Stanford
A Gallium Arsenide chip - the pink vector below represents classical light. The Indium Arsenide filter in the center allows classical light to pass through, while also producing quantum light, shown in blue.
Jelena Vuckovic, professor of electrical engineering at Stanford has been working for years to develop nanoscale lasers and quantum technologies. Success here would mean replacement of electricity with light for transmission and faster communication between conventional computers.

Like everything else, quantum technology has it problems. Quantised light is much weaker than that coming from a modified laser, thus more difficult to detect. To combat this, the team of researchers created a filter to keep away unwanted light.

This filtering employs methods somewhat similar to noise-cancellation headphones – a sensor actively gauges the frequency of relatively constant ambient sound and produces a similar pattern, cancelling the undesirable sound. The unwanted light signals here would be analogous to noise.

In the 1930s, a technique was developed by radio engineers, it used interference patterns to cancel out unwanted signals. Vuckovic has resorted to this to close doors for unwanted light. By adjusting how the cancelling light and the classical light overlap, the quantum light surfaces. Vuckovic and many others regard this as a pathway to secure quantum communication for the years to come.

Source: #-Link-Snipped-#

Replies

You are reading an archived discussion.

Related Posts

Quote: If you search for good DIY solar power project for your home there are thousands available on internet. Some of them are very complex and require special tools or...
Quote: In this video I show you how to Do It Yourself Giant Gummy Cola Bottle - is an easy recipe for everyone. What you will need: - For the...
Although the intention was to identify the focal points of seizures in epilepsy patients, a team of neuroscientists from the University of Washington have also uncovered ways to transcribe human...
In an effort to predict and monitor natural disasters with increased accuracy, the European Space Agency (ESA), in association with Airbus Defence and Space, has launched the first building block...
Ulrich Wiesner and his team at Cornell University have developed a self-assembled super conductor, niobium nitride (NbN) inside a 3D gyroidal structure. This is the first time in history that...