In the quest to build a quantum internet, scientists are putting their memories to the test. Quantum memories, that is.
Now, two teams of scientists have entangled quantum memories in networks nestled into cities, where the hustle and bustle of urban life can pose challenges to quantum communications.
“These two impressive studies are pushing out of the lab and into real-world implementations,” says physicist Benjamin Sussman of the University of Ottawa, who was not involved with the research. “These are not just toy systems, but are really the first steps toward what future networks will look like.”
In a network of two quantum memories connected by a telecommunications fiber link that traversed a 35-kilometer loop through Boston and Cambridge, Mass., scientists maintained entanglement for about a second, physicist Can Knaut and colleagues report in the May 16 Nature. “That doesn’t sound like a lot for us, but in the domain of quantum, where … everything is more fleeting, one second is actually a really long time,” says Knaut, of Harvard University.
2024-05-23 08:30:00
Original from www.sciencenews.org