Physicists Shatter Quantum Entanglement Distance Record With 420 Kilometers of Optical Fiber
Physicists have successfully entangled quantum memories over a 420-kilometer optical fiber, significantly surpassing previous distance records. This milestone is a crucial step toward developing a robust quantum internet that relies on stable quantum storage rather than fleeting photons.
Why it matters
Extending the range of quantum entanglement is essential for building secure, long-distance quantum communication networks.
Add ScienceAlert on Google (Jian Fan/iStock/Getty Images Plus) Maintaining a long-distance relationship may be difficult for humans, but it's even more difficult for entangled states .
The longer the fiber, the harder it becomes to keep the two quantum memories linked.
Overcoming this tyranny of distance has been one of the major challenges of quantum communication.
A team of physicists led by Xi-Yu Luo, Chao-Yang Wang, and Ming-Yang Zheng at the University of Science and Technology of China has breached a milestone – with the longest fiber-based matter-to-matter entanglement yet.
Across an optical fiber measuring 420 kilometers (261 miles), the researchers successfully entangled quantum memories – more than four times farther than previous demonstrations, and beyond the point where direct transmission runs into its fundamental limits .
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