Phys.org September 2, 2020
An international team of researchers (UK, Austria, Croatia) used multiplexing which splits the light particles, emitted by a single system, so they can be received by multiple users efficiently. They designed a network for eight users using just eight receiver boxes As the user numbers grow, the logistics become increasingly unviable—for instance 100 users would take 9,900 receiver boxes. To demonstrate its functionality across distance the receiver boxes were connected to optical fibres via different locations across Bristol. The ability to transmit messages via quantum communication was tested using the city’s existing optical fibre network. The system is scalable, relatively cheap, completely secure, agile so it requires minimal hardware to integrate with the existing technology…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
The overall network architecture showing the physical layer, communication layer, and the way wavelength channels are distributed. Credit: Science Advances 02 Sep 2020: Vol. 6, no. 36, eaba0959