IIT-Gandhinagar scientists demo quantum link through 5.5 km of air
Scientists at IIT-Gandhinagar have successfully demonstrated a quantum-secure communication link over 5.5 km of open air. This technology uses quantum physics to ensure secure encryption key distribution, which is resistant to eavesdropping.
Why it matters
This advancement represents a significant step forward in secure communication infrastructure, moving beyond traditional fiber-optic limitations.
Indian scientists have demonstrated a quantum-secure communications link through open air across more than five times the distance covered in a similar test last year.
In the latest demo, on the night of September 27-28, scientists connected the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) and IIT-Gandhinagar. QNu Labs from Bengaluru supplied the equipment.
The feat has been described as India’s first free-space quantum-key distribution (QKD) link at a distance of 5.56 km. QKD is a technology to make communications more secure. Two parties generate a shared encryption key by transmitting information encoded in particles in photons.
If an eavesdropper attempts to intercept these particles and measure their quantum states, the act will produce errors the two parties will be able to detect.
Since these errors cannot be avoided, QKD allows parties to share encryption keys securely, using quantum physics.
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