Lifeboat Foundation

The first quantum revolution brought about semiconductor electronics, the laser and finally the internet. The coming, second quantum revolution promises spy-proof communication, extremely precise quantum sensors and quantum computers for previously unsolvable computing tasks. But this revolution is still in its infancy. A central research object is the interface between local quantum devices and light quanta that enable the remote transmission of highly sensitive quantum information. The Otto-Hahn group “Quantum Networks” at the Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching is researching such a “quantum modem”. The team has now achieved a first breakthrough in a relatively simple but highly efficient technology that can be integrated into existing fiber optic networks. The work is published this week in Physical Review X.

The Corona pandemic is a daily reminder of how important the internet has become. The World Wide Web, once a by-product of basic physical research, has radically changed our culture. Could a quantum internet become the next major innovation out of physics?

It is still too early to answer that question, but basic research is already working on the quantum internet. Many applications will be more specialized and less sensual than video conferencing, but the importance of absolutely spy-proof long-distance communication is understandable to everyone. “In the future, a quantum internet could be used to connect quantum computers located in different places,” Andreas Reiserer says, “which would considerably increase their computing power!” The physicist heads the independent Otto-Hahn research group “Quantum Networks” at the Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching.

SpaceX’s Starlink satellite cluster has been receiving much headline space recently as it continues adding satellites at a breathtaking pace. Much of this news coverage has focused on how it’s impacting amateur skygazers and how it could benefit people in far-flung regions. But technical details do matter, and over on Casey Handmer’s blog, there was a recent discussion of one of the most important aspects of how Starlink actually operates—what will it do with its data?

In networking lingo, data is quantized into “packets,” which are sets of ones and zeros that computers can understand. In the case of Starlink, these packets will bounce between ground stations and a series of satellites parked in nine separate low-Earth orbits. Each orbit will contain a number of satellites, and each satellite’s covered territory will overlap with the satellites to the north and south of it. When the constellation is complete, every spot on Earth will be covered by at least two Starlink satellites.

Continue reading “How will Starlink’s packet routing work?” »

Across 2019, Google rewarded hackers with a total of $6.5 Million. Here’s why.

It seems Starlink will give other service providers a run for their money. 🙂

Managing Expectations

SpaceX made its expectations clear from the beginning: The space company called the public test a “Better Than Nothing Beta” and suggested users might see speeds of 50 to 150 Mbps.

Continue reading “Starlink Beta Has Outperformed Most Internet in the US” »

Initial commercial 5G mobile services were rolled out last year in South Korea, the United States, Australia, Britain, Switzerland, Spain and Monaco. Yet the scale of China’s market is likely to dwarf the combined size of those economies, negating any first-mover advantage.

While most people see 5G as a technical upgrade to 4G, the next-generation mobile system is expected to be a major building block of the fourth industrial revolution.

A few days ago, SpaceX started to offer Starlink satellite broadband internet service in areas located in the northern United States and southern Canada. With approximately 888 internet-beaming satellites in orbit the Starlink network is capable of providing ‘moderate’ broadband coverage. Early Starlink customers have shared photographs via social media of the Starlink Kit that is utilized to receive internet connection from the satellites in space. The Starlink Kit includes: “Dishy McFlatface” which is a 19-inch dish phased-array antenna, a mounting tripod for the dish, and an oddly-shaped Wi-Fi router device, pictured below.

It’ll start to roll out in coming months, SpaceX says.

The hardware kit to get started will cost an additional $499 up front.

Quantum computers are now a reality, although they are still too rudimentary to factor numbers of more than two digits. But it is only a matter of time until quantum computers threaten Internet encryption.

Nature caught up with Shor to ask him about the impact of his work — and where Internet security is heading.

Nature talks to Peter Shor 25 years after he showed how to make quantum computations feasible — and how they could endanger our data.

Continue reading “Quantum-computing pioneer warns of complacency over Internet security” »

Researchers from Sorbonne University in Paris have achieved a highly efficient transfer of quantum entanglement into and out of two quantum memory devices. This achievement brings a key ingredient for the scalability of a future quantum internet.

A quantum internet that connects multiple locations is a key step in quantum technology roadmaps worldwide. In this context, the European Quantum Flagship Programme launched the Quantum Internet Alliance in 2018. This consortium coordinated by Stephanie Wehner (QuTech-Delft) consists of 12 leading research groups at universities from eight European countries, in close cooperation with over 20 companies and institutes. They combined their resources and areas of expertise to develop a blueprint for a future quantum internet and the required technologies.

A quantum internet uses an intriguing quantum phenomenon to connect different nodes in a network together. In a normal network connection, nodes exchange information by sending electrons or photons back and forth, making them vulnerable to eavesdropping. In a quantum network, the nodes are connected by entanglement, Einstein’s famous “spooky action at a distance.” These non-classical correlations at large distances would allow not only secure communications beyond direct transmission but also distributed quantum computing or enhanced sensing.