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Researchers Realize Quantum Communications Milestone Using Light


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Technologies based on the notoriously tricky laws of quantum mechanics promise to enable computers much more powerful than today's fastest supercomputers. But for these technologies to see the light of day, researchers must develop efficient quantum communications networks that connect quantum devices while preserving the delicate states of the particles used to transmit information.

A team of researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, along with colleagues at Purdue University, has taken an important step toward this goal by harnessing the frequency of light. Such capabilities could contribute to more practical and large-scale quantum networks exponentially more powerful and secure than the classical networks of today.

Specifically, the team is harnessing the properties of light and the principles of quantum mechanics to transfer information, making the network itself a photonic quantum information processor.

The team describes its work in "Fully Arbitrary Control of Frequency-Bin Qubits," published in Physical Review Letters.

From Oak Ridge National Laboratory
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