by Maria Ișfan, PhD student
Quantum internet is one step closer to becoming reality! A group of scientists from USA achieved the first teleportation of a photon through an operational optical fiber, as reported in their paper published in journal Optica. In other words, alongside the transmission of classical data, the scientists also managed to transmit quantum data!
Quantum teleportation is a process that can be demonstrated in the laboratory. It is one of the cornerstones of quantum networks, which are far more secure than their classical counterparts. It involves transferring the state of one quantum particle (in this case, a photon) to another quantum particle. This state represents quantum information, or data. The first photon contains the data to be teleported, while a second photon, the receiver, is located over 30 km away. The two photons are connected through a telecommunications optical fiber cable, which transmits classical data in the frequency band of 3.7 GHz - 4.2 GHz at a speed of 400 Gb per second. The teleportation of the first photon's state to the second photon was achieved simultaneously with the transmission of classical data. In essence, a photon was teleported from one end of the operational optical fiber to the other, without losing the data it carried.
The success of this teleportation demonstrates the feasibility of quantum networks and opens new perspectives for the practical realisation of quantum telecommunications: from teleporting multiple photons through optical fibers transmitting data a thousand times faster to the realization of the quantum internet.
SOURCE: Quantum teleportation coexisting with classical communications in optical fiber
quantuminternetalliance.org