A quantum state of light was successfully teleported through more than 30 kilometers (around 18 miles) of fiber optic cable amid a torrent of internet traffic – a feat of engineering once considered impossible.
TLDR: Researchers were able to send and receive entangled photons over a fiber optic cable that was simultaneously carrying a classical (non-quantum) signal typical of high speed telecommunications. They managed to accomplish this without the classical signal significantly interfering with the quantum measurements.
This was all done in a laboratory using a combination of standard telecommunications equipment for the classical signal and specialized equipment for the quantum signal. It was NOT done on a fiber carrying real internet traffic as the article would suggest.
Correct, but still amazing because it means quantum internet is achievable over existing infrastructure. Not needing to lay down all new lines around the world for quantum transmissions will mean it gets adopted much faster. Even if specialized equipment is needed on either end of the cable, the hope/assumption would be that specialized equipment on either end will become cheaper as tech advances and scales upward - still a long ways off but cut down significantly.
What’s the upshot of this, even if the article’s hyperbole is accurate? I’m assuming it’s not as spooky or sci-fi as the terminology sounds to a monkey like me.
It shows that it’s possible to send entangled photons over existing fiber infrastructure without building something totally new, which as I understand it has applications in cryptography, secure communications, and quantum computing.
That’s a common problem with these titles. If you want to make them short and snappy, you’ll either end up with something vague or straight up incorrect.
IIUC, quantum entanglement at a distance provides for faster than light/instant communication of state changes. High frequency trading, and dark orderbooks, is the only known economic application (space communications a far off application). I’m not sure why article avoided talking about this purpose.
While the entangled photons may be thought of as changing state simultaneously, in practice, it’s not possible to use this to convey information, as doing so would break causality, and effect would be able to happen before its cause. Remember that what is commonly termed ‘the speed of light’ is actually better expressed as ‘the speed of causality’. The most useful application of what this experiment performed would be in the area of quantum cryptography.
TLDR: Researchers were able to send and receive entangled photons over a fiber optic cable that was simultaneously carrying a classical (non-quantum) signal typical of high speed telecommunications. They managed to accomplish this without the classical signal significantly interfering with the quantum measurements.
This was all done in a laboratory using a combination of standard telecommunications equipment for the classical signal and specialized equipment for the quantum signal. It was NOT done on a fiber carrying real internet traffic as the article would suggest.
Correct, but still amazing because it means quantum internet is achievable over existing infrastructure. Not needing to lay down all new lines around the world for quantum transmissions will mean it gets adopted much faster. Even if specialized equipment is needed on either end of the cable, the hope/assumption would be that specialized equipment on either end will become cheaper as tech advances and scales upward - still a long ways off but cut down significantly.
Yeah it’s absolutely an awesome accomplishment, it just bugs me whenever articles spread straight up false information.
What’s the upshot of this, even if the article’s hyperbole is accurate? I’m assuming it’s not as spooky or sci-fi as the terminology sounds to a monkey like me.
It shows that it’s possible to send entangled photons over existing fiber infrastructure without building something totally new, which as I understand it has applications in cryptography, secure communications, and quantum computing.
That’s a common problem with these titles. If you want to make them short and snappy, you’ll either end up with something vague or straight up incorrect.
IIUC, quantum entanglement at a distance provides for faster than light/instant communication of state changes. High frequency trading, and dark orderbooks, is the only known economic application (space communications a far off application). I’m not sure why article avoided talking about this purpose.
You don’t understand correctly. Entangled particles do not allow for faster than light communication.
it doesn’t work like that
While the entangled photons may be thought of as changing state simultaneously, in practice, it’s not possible to use this to convey information, as doing so would break causality, and effect would be able to happen before its cause. Remember that what is commonly termed ‘the speed of light’ is actually better expressed as ‘the speed of causality’. The most useful application of what this experiment performed would be in the area of quantum cryptography.
So you’re telling me my Bitcoin is quantum now?
/S