Physicists from China and Austria conducted the first intercontinental "teleportation" of particles and a conference call, protected at the quantum level, using the first quantum communication satellite Mo-Tzu, the press service of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported.
“In the year since the launch of Mo-Tzu, we have been able to implement three major steps towards the creation of a“quantum Internet”. We managed to transfer quantum keys from a satellite to Earth at a distance of 1200 kilometers, connect two different points on the planet's surface at a similar distance, and also conduct the first experiments on orbital quantum teleportation. Thanks to this, we have improved the quality of communication by 20 times in comparison with fiber-optic systems, - said the Chinese scientists.
The phenomenon of quantum entanglement is at the heart of modern quantum technology. This phenomenon, in particular, plays an important role in secure quantum communication systems - such systems completely exclude the possibility of imperceptible eavesdropping due to the fact that the laws of quantum mechanics prohibit the "cloning" of the state of light particles. Today, quantum communication systems are being actively developed in Europe, China and the United States.
In recent years, Russian scientists and their colleagues from foreign countries have created dozens of quantum communication systems, the nodes of which can exchange data over fairly long distances - about 200-300 kilometers. All attempts to expand these networks to the international and intercontinental level have faced insurmountable difficulties due to the fact that the light is extinguished when traveling through fiber.
For this reason, many teams of scientists have thought about transferring quantum communication systems to the cosmic level - via a satellite, which allows restoring or strengthening the "invisible connection" between entangled photons. The first spacecraft of this kind is already operating in orbit - this is the Chinese satellite Mo Tzu, launched into space in August 2016.
According to the press service of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, "Mo-tzu" was first used for practical purposes. Chunli Bai, president of the CAS, and Anton Zeilinger, head of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, conducted the first session of intercontinental quantum video communications, protected from hacking using encryption keys transmitted via satellite.
For this experiment, Chinese scientists have combined satellite quantum communication channels with the existing terrestrial quantum network connecting Beijing, Shanghai and several other Chinese cities. A similar network has been built between Vienna and the city of Graz, where the space quantum communication stations are located. These networks and Mo-Tzu have helped physicists establish a connection between Beijing and Vienna, where the heads of the academies of sciences work.
In the near future, according to the press service of the CAS, Chinese scientists will conduct similar experiments with the participation of colleagues from Russia, Singapore, Italy and Germany.
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