Quantum breakthrough to provide security benefit

Posted on Monday 29 June 2009

Professor Sam Braunstein, in York’s Department of Computer Science, with colleagues in Germany and Japan, succeeded in generating nine-party quantum entanglement for the first time.

It is likely that ordinary people will be using quantum cryptography long before they use a quantum computer

Professor Sam Braunstein

The method provides a robust form of quantum error correction, an important step in making online communication more secure. It will also help in the development of a quantum computer whose capacity would be many times greater than that of a conventional one.

The research team which included scientists from the University of Tokyo and the Max Planck Institute at Erlangen Nuremburg, demonstrated a theory first proposed by Professor Braunstein in 1998. Their findings are published in the latest issue of Nature Physics.

Professor Braunstein said: “This advance will make quantum cryptography more likely. It is likely that ordinary people will be using quantum cryptography long before they use a quantum computer. Quantum communication, such as this, uses much less infrastructure. It will boost security for everybody, but I can see banks being one of the first users because of the added protection it will provide for financial transactions.”

During a three-year research project, the team used quantum optics techniques to demonstrate nine-party quantum entanglement, substantially more powerful than quantum error correction schemes have previously achieved.

But the researchers say that even more complex multi-partite quantum entanglement will be required before the goal of a quantum computer can be reached.

ENDS