Cambridge launches UK’s first quantum network
1–10 of 33 posts
Re: Cambridge launches UK’s first quantum network
#2Can someone with more knowledge on this topic speak to whether this is likely to take off, or is it just a research toy?
Re: Cambridge launches UK’s first quantum network
#3I wonder how intelligence services around the world are planning to combat the rise of these allegedly "unhackable" communication networks.
Re: Cambridge launches UK’s first quantum network
#4I wonder how intelligence services around the world are planning to combat the rise of these allegedly "unhackable" communication networks.
They don’t need to hack the network, just turn some people or beat them with rubber hoses.
Re: Cambridge launches UK’s first quantum network
#5I wonder how intelligence services around the world are planning to combat the rise of these allegedly "unhackable" communication networks.
They don’t need to hack the network, just turn some people or beat them with rubber hoses.
Obligatory xkcd https://xkcd.com/538/
Re: Cambridge launches UK’s first quantum network
#6Can someone with more knowledge on this topic speak to whether this is likely to take off, or is it just a research toy?
Yes. Can these be used in cases where traditional radio systems can't be used? Like deeply submerged submarines?
Re: Cambridge launches UK’s first quantum network
#7I wonder how intelligence services around the world are planning to combat the rise of these allegedly "unhackable" communication networks.
Same way they attack SSL and other cryptographic security systems, I'd suppose.
Re: Cambridge launches UK’s first quantum network
#8Can someone with more knowledge on this topic speak to whether this is likely to take off, or is it just a research toy?
Well, there's supposedly a much longer network in China:
https://www.opengovasia.com/articles/8091-worlds-longest-unh...
The theory is sound and the technology is getting there. The question is really whether there's enough commercial interest. Joe Public doesn't care too much about this level of security, but governments, journalists, intelligence groups, and companies with a lot of intellectual property do.
I predict that there will be some commercial uptake of this tech in 20 or so years time, but I don't think it'll be that exciting in terms of practical application. It's already possible to be confident that the pure algorithm is secure, i.e. communications can't be read without some sort of social engineering, backdoors or the like.
Re: Cambridge launches UK’s first quantum network
#9I wonder how intelligence services around the world are planning to combat the rise of these allegedly "unhackable" communication networks.
Same way they attack SSL and other cryptographic security systems, I'd suppose.
Via implementation bugs, or backdooring parts of the endpoints, you mean?
Re: Cambridge launches UK’s first quantum network
#10Can someone with more knowledge on this topic speak to whether this is likely to take off, or is it just a research toy?
Yes. Can these be used in cases where traditional radio systems can't be used? Like deeply submerged submarines?
Having a bunch of entangled particles doesn't actually let you communicate. You still need to exchange particles with your interlocutor.
If you can't communicate classically, you can't communicate with quantum states either- this is the no-communication theorem.
Quantum mechanics allows for superdense coding, where you get a bit more than one bit per particle, but it's probably not really helpful.