FORGING NEW LINES OF QUANTUM COMMUNICATION

摘要

While it is often taken for granted, whether we are browsing the Web or texting friends, our daily communication depends on complex networks of optical fibers for exchange of information. Although optical communication has advanced over the past few decades, it is fundamentally insecure and subject to eavesdropping. Those who are skilled can tap into communication channels without being noticed. Quantum communication uses quantum mechanical effects and guarantees that secure infomation cannot be copied. However, quantum communication as of today suffers from speed limitations, timing jitters, and vulnerability to noise. This is all combined with insensitivity to some information carriers and finite photon detection efficiency.