Phys.org October 1, 2018
Researchers in Germany developed a remarkably stable yet powerful quantum source which can generate 300,000 entangled photon pairs per second when the light from a laser beam hits a non-linear crystal. The twinned light particles enable sensitive messages to be securely encrypted. The two photons’ polarization remains entangled no matter how far apart they may be. This allows two communicating parties to produce and share keys and immediately detect if a third-party attempts to intercept their communication. If an unauthorized party tampers with the message, the two photons disentangle to reveal that a hacking attempt is underway. The infrastructure needed to share keys has yet to be established before quantum encryption can be implemented in three to five years’ time…read more.
The quantum source generates entangled photons and transmits them to Earth from a satellite, where they serve to distribute secure keys for encrypting data. Credit: Fraunhofer IOF