Communications of the ACM
Photons Trained for Optical Fiber Obstacle Course Will Deliver Stronger Cyber Security
A team of researchers has demonstrated a way to improve quantum key distribution over fiber networks.
Credit: Center for Quantum Technologies
Researchers at the National University of Singapore, the Center for Quantum Technologies (CQT), and Singapore Telecommunications have demonstrated a technique that will help pairs of entangled photons smoothly navigate optical fibers, which will enable stronger cybersecurity.
The new approach supports the deployment of quantum key distribution, which uses signals sent in photons.
Detection of individual photons creates encryption keys for secure communication, and data encrypted with such keys is resistant to all computational hacks.
The technique works by designing the photon source to create pairs of light particles with colors on either side of a known feature of optical fiber called the "zero-dispersion wavelength." This makes it possible to match the speeds through the photons' time-energy entanglement.
Said CQT researcher Alexander Ling, "Before these results, it was not known if the multi-segment nature of deployed fiber would enable high-precision dispersion cancellation, because the segments don't generally have identical zero dispersion wavelengths."
From Center for Quantum Technologies (Singapore)
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Abstracts Copyright © 2019 SmithBucklin, Washington, DC, USA
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