New Switching Device Could Help Build an Ultrafast 'Quantum Internet'

Article

Northwestern University researchers have developed a new switching device that takes quantum communication to a new level. The device is a practical step toward creating a network that takes advantage of the mysterious and powerful world of quantum mechanics.

The researchers can route quantum bits, or entangled particles of light, at very high speeds along a shared network of fiber-optic cable without losing the entanglement information embedded in the quantum bits. The switch could be used toward achieving two goals of the information technology world: a quantum Internet, where encrypted information would be completely secure, and networking superfast quantum computers.

This is pretty interesting. Sounds like this may be one step closer to a "super internet" or something like that. I wonder what other technologies could evolve out of this quantum internet switch?

reply to post by buni11687


Is this the thing where they use particles to create the binary stuff, or something close to that effect, and has to operate at a low temperature ? but would be useless if the it felt it were being observed (i.e must be no external interference)

I may well have this all around my ears, and probably haven't explained it very well, but I saw something on the telly a while ago which I thought might be this

Sorry if I'm a bit rubbish

Hmm, interesting stuff! Flagged.
As the above poster, i still struggle to grasp how in hell are they working with entangled particles...
I understand that those quantum states are QUITE volatile, information-wise...
Anyway, very cool advancement. Imagine what kind of tech we could develop using this ultra-fast communication medium, from real-time internet, to incredibly fast computing units, it is just the beginning...


Drakus

I dont really understand how the stuff is supposed to work either. It all is still pretty new to me.

Heres a wiki page about quantum mechanics. link

Originally posted by drakus
Hmm, interesting stuff! Flagged.
As the above poster, i still struggle to grasp how in hell are they working with entangled particles...

I understand what they are working with, but I guess I don't have enough vision to see the practical application being all that helpful.

My computer has a hard enough time when it KNOWS that a bit must either be a 1 or a 0.

If the bit doesn't even know if it's supposed to be a 1 or a 0 because it's both at the same time, all I can see is my computer getting even more confused than it already is:

The bits we all know through standard, or classical, communications only exist in one of two states, either "1" or "0." All classical information is encoded using these ones and zeros. What makes a quantum bit, or qubit, so attractive is it can be both one and zero simultaneously as well as being one or zero.

That makes it attractive? Of course I know it's not meant to work with my current computer and they'd have to design new computers to work with qubits, but still, I'm unconvinced.

The whole idea of Error Correcting Memory or ECC memory is to make sure the bits pick the correct 1 or 0 state. If it's both at the same time, isn't that a little confusing?

I'll have to see this technology actually implemented to demonstrate to me how practical it is.

reply to post by buni11687


It works this way: we switch off from using clumsy things like electrons for data transmission, and move to smaller and more fundamental particles. This allows for cooler running CPUs and much greater circuit density on a chip, and that means exponentially more processor power.

Using electrons, there is a calculable maximum density for circuits in a CPU or electronic device. It's kind of like what the speed of light limit is to space travel. Electrons compared to quantum particles are really inefficient. If we can't "go smaller" we will reach a limit to how fast a computer can get.

Circuit density is what it's all about. Packing the most decision making circuits in to the tiniest area.

reply to post by Arbitrageur


ECC is just a methodology; an encryption related method of error checking. You can get 1 or 0 quantum state distinction ie left or right spin, but what's really cool is we could replace binary with something a whole lot more powerful with all the possible states a quantum particle could exhibit.

Edit: S & F OP, great topic.[

Edit No. 2: If we can get this to work, we are rapidly approaching singularity. Humans become augmented by machines and effectively immortal, and machines approach humanity, developing conscienceness. Us and our brain-children meet in the middle and become a new species, together.

This is an amazing advance! With this technology you could potentially communicate top secret messages across vast distances without any wireless signal to pick up on it. On a very small scale it could result in a massive increase in computer speed. With a very large computer network it could result in a very massive very quick and powerful network. I'm thinking and hoping for a lightning quick super Internet rather than some ulber scary skynet. Good find.

Originally posted by mydarkpassenger
It works this way: we switch off from using clumsy things like electrons for data transmission, and move to smaller and more fundamental particles.

I don't think you read the article very carefully, if at all.

"My goal is to make quantum communication devices very practical," said Prem Kumar, AT&T Professor of Information Technology in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science and senior author of the paper. "We work in fiber optics so that as quantum communication matures it can easily be integrated into the existing telecommunication infrastructure."

See the part about integrating into the existing telecommunication infrastructure? It already uses fiber optics (photons, not electrons) for the backbone circuits, and in the case of Verizon FIOS, the fiber optics goes all the way to your home.

So if he's saying he wants to use existing infrastructure it seems uninformed to claim it's a new infrastructure. And of course Verizon and others are expanding their fiber optic networks for reasons that have nothing to do with Qubits.

reply to post by Arbitrageur


Sorry, but he seems to be speaking of quantum devices. My original post holds if you really understand the difference between quantum level particles and electrons. I am a computer scientist, and quantum processing is the Holy Grail of my profession.

Photons are NOT quantum level particles.