Researchers at the Glenn Research Center NASA in collaboration with advanced technology materials supplier Infleqtion Inc. they have developed a quantum technology which achieves data storage in a cloud of individuals. In announcement NASA says this technology is the first step in creating a large-scale quantum network, which could lead to more secure space communications and, ultimately, new scientific discoveries.
Quantum memory stores information encoded in matter or photons (individual particles of light) for a certain period of time. The developed quantum memory stores information in a cloud of laser-cooled atoms and later releases it in the form of photons.
The networks
On Earth, many quantum networks use fiber optic infrastructure. However, quantum information degrades after just a few tens of kilometers, severely limiting the size of any future networks. Quantum memory will help extend quantum networks to send information over greater distances.
A large-scale quantum network would process information faster, provide better information security, and improve the accuracy of how we explore the world compared to a traditional computer network.
“Quantum can provide NASA with the ability to explore or manage situations in space that we could not do with conventional technologies. While quantum networks are a bit more advanced here and now, we are excited to develop this technology so that we can understand more about how quantum memory affects quantum networks,” said Evan Katz, a quantum scientist at NASA.
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