Scientists Race To Establish the First Links of a 'Quantum Internet'

ananyo writes "Two teams of researchers — once rivals, now collaborators — are racing to use the powers of subatomic physics to create a super-secure global communication network. The teams — one led by Jian-Wei Pan at the University of Science and Technology of China, the other by his former PhD supervisor Anton Zeilinger of the University of Vienna — have spent the last 7 years beating each other's distance records for long-distance quantum-teleportation. They now plan to create the first intercontinental quantum-secured network, connecting Asia to Europe by satellite."

evesdropping

[schneidafunk]

Does evesdropping on a quantum message destroy the message? People talk about super secure quantum messages because it leaves a detectable trace, but does it also destroy the message in the process?

Re:No US

[Anonymous Coward]

You and a friend put one black and one white marble in a tin and shake. Without looking you each grab a marble and put it in your pocket. You travel some distance apart and then check your pocket. If your marble is white you now instantly know your friends marble is black. That's basically the level of communication in quantum entanglement.

Re:No US

[Anonymous Coward]

Probably because quantum entanglement can't actually transmit information

You should re-read that. Quantum entanglement cannot be used for faster than light communication, but that doesn't mean there are not applications in transmitting information slower than speed of light. There definitely are some potential applications in that case, and it is more of a matter if it can be done practically.