(FinancialExpress) The Department of Energy has been working with several universities and industry researchers to make the quantum internet a reality. Scientists believe that they would be able to come up with a prototype within a decade. This article offers an overview for non-scientists about the planned quantum internet, its construction, uses and benefits.
In a statement, the Department of Energy said that important steps towards realising this technology are already being taken in Chicago, which they say has become a leading hub in quantum research.
In February, scientists from University of Chicago and DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois worked together to entangle photons over a 52-mile quantum loop. This led to the successful establishment of one of the longest land-based quantum networks in the US.
A distinctive feature of the quantum technology-based transmission is that it is exceedingly hard to spy on when the information is being transmitted between locations. This is the trait that scientists hope to use in order to create a network which is virtually unhackable. They believe that initial adopters of such a technology could include banking and healthcare industries, along with applications for aircraft communications as well as national security.
scientists are also looking to understand how the quantum networld could make the exchange of vast volumes of data quickly. The report states that if components can be combined and scaled, then it might be a breakthrough in data communication.