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| A quantum network with multiple nodes paves the way for the quantum internet |
Researchers in the Netherlands have successfully linked three independent quantum processors. This is the world's first multi-node quantum network.
This paved the way for the large-scale quantum internet that governments and scientists have dreamed of for decades.
QuTech is a quantum research institute in Delft. He published a new book in which three nodes can store and process qubits, called qubits, connected to each other. According to QuTech researchers, this is the world's first quantum primitive network.
Connecting quantum devices is nothing new as many researchers around the world are currently working on similar networks. However, so far they have only succeeded in connecting two quantum processors.
Therefore, connecting to multiple nodes is a necessary step for greatly expanding the network size.
Much of the research aims to build a quantum internet that could someday spread across the entire surface of the Earth.
The quantum internet uses the laws of quantum mechanics to enable quantum devices to communicate with each other.
The quantum internet is expected to enable many applications that cannot be implemented in a traditional manner today, such as impenetrable communications.
The quantum internet can link small quantum machines together to create a large quantum group that has more computing power than more complex supercomputers.
Entanglement is one of the main quantum properties that underpin the quantum internet. This phenomenon occurs when two quantum particles are related to each other regardless of the physical distance between them.
When it comes to two quantum particles, their properties are related, which means that any change in one particle will inevitably be reflected in the other.
In quantum communication, this means that scientists can use entangled particles to simultaneously transmit information from the first qubit to the second paired qubit, even though the two are in separate quantum devices.
The QuTech research team is developing a node-based middleware system that resembles current internet routers and can maintain entanglement over greater distances.
The QuTech team also developed the first quantum network protocol, which demonstrates that every process has been completed.
The new network provides a test platform for developing new quantum hardware and software, and Internet protocols. However, expertise must also move from a proof-of-concept to a practical solution for scaling the quantum network.
The quantum internet of the future consists of a myriad of quantum devices and intermediate nodes.
QuTech research is supported by the European Union's Quantum Internet Alliance, but it is not just an EU country. China and the United States are also interested in developing quantum networks. It has made great progress in this area.