Wits announces quantum communications breakthrough
Physicists at Wits University have developed a method to transmit quantum information through turbulent air by utilizing the 'twist' or orbital angular momentum of light. This breakthrough allows for more data to be encoded on individual photons, potentially enabling secure, long-distance quantum communication networks.
Why it matters
This technology could lead to 'indestructible' quantum-secured communication links between buildings or satellites, overcoming the fragility that currently limits quantum networking.
Physicists at Wits University have shown that information carried on light can survive a trip through turbulent air completely intact, even when the light itself arrives so badly distorted that it is unrecognisable. That matters because of what it could eventually make possible — so-called “indestructible” quantum communications.
Quantum communication is prized for one reason above all: anyone trying to listen in disturbs the light and leaves a trace, so eavesdropping cannot go unnoticed. But today’s systems carry very little information on each particle of light, and they work best through fibre-optic cable or clear, still air.
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