Researchers claim breakthrough in secure quantum communications

The researchers were able to coordinate the path of a pair of photons - one photon for each party - through different fibre network paths

Researchers in Singapore claim to have made a breakthrough in secure quantum communications.

The joint team, from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore's national telecoms company Singtel, claim to have devised a novel technique to establish secure communications between two parties by coordinating the paths of photons across a fibre network.

The technique has potential to drive advancement in quantum key distribution (QKD), according to the researchers.

QKD is a protocol, used to establish a secure communication channel during the transmission of light particles over a network. With QKD, it becomes possible for two communicating parties to agree on an encryption key.

In QKD, quantum properties are used to exchange the encryption key between two parties. The encryption key is then used to encrypt the messages being transmitted over an insecure channel.

The QKD protocol can provide security against even the most arbitrarily powerful eavesdroppers. It is based on the fact that any attempt by an attacker to measure a quantum system will eventually disturb the entire system.

In other words, an eavesdropper trying to intercept a quantum exchange will leave traces that can be easily detected by the legitimate communicating parties. As the two parties are alerted about the intrusion, they can abort the session and start a fresh one to exchange information.

In the current study, the research team demonstrated their ability to coordinate the path of a pair of photons (one photon for each party) through different fibre networks paths.

They used Singtel's fibre network for experiments and were able to precisely control the arrival time of two photons. Without this technique, a possibility remains of photons getting out of sequence, thus making it difficult for two parties to settle on an encryption key.

The team said they are now working on actual use cases, such as applications in banking and military areas, where secure communication is essential for long-term security of the system.

"This technology opens up many exciting possibilities for users that require strong and long-term security for their communication," said Bill Chang, CEO of Singtel's group enterprise business.

"It also positions Singapore as a hub for global QKD research," he added.

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