- Jul 27, 2015
- 5,458
Scientists in the Netherlands have made a major step towards quantum computer networks by teleporting quantum information between two nodes that didn’t have a direct link to each other. The breakthrough heralds a faster and more secure communication system.
As the name suggests, quantum computers tap into several principles of quantum mechanics to perform calculations that are beyond the reach of traditional computers. And just like our current internet, these quantum computers will need to be linked together to achieve their full potential. However, sending information between them is tricky, because the quantum nature of that data makes it susceptible to loss or interference from the environment. Instead, that information can be essentially “teleported” between nodes, thanks to a phenomenon known as quantum entanglement. Two particles can become so entwined with each other that it becomes impossible to describe one without the other, and any changes made to one will instantly affect the other, no matter how far apart they are. It’s a concept that famously unsettled Einstein himself, but it has been repeatedly confirmed in experimentation.
In the context of a quantum computer network, quantum bits (or qubits) of information can be teleported to a node by making changes to its entangled partner, usually by performing what’s called a Bell-state measurement (BSM). This has been demonstrated before between two adjacent nodes, but for the new study, researchers at the QuTech collaboration were able to teleport information between two non-neighboring nodes.
Quantum teleportation achieved between non-adjacent network nodes
Scientists in the Netherlands have made a major step towards quantum computer networks by teleporting quantum information between two nodes that didn’t have a direct link to each other. The breakthrough heralds a faster and more secure communication system.
newatlas.com