Quantum Communication Speeds Up Nearly Five Times ⚡ экспресс
For building scalable quantum networks, quickly and reliably entangling remote nodes is crucial. In this work, for the first time, heralded multiplexing was implemented with two trapped-ion nodes: transmitting 10 temporal photonic modes accelerated entanglement generation by a factor of 4.59 and achieved a fidelity of 95.9±1.5% over 1.2 km of optical fiber. The dual-species architecture used can be easily extended to many nodes, making the system a universal building block for future quantum networks.
Regular quantum communication is like a postal service that sends letters strictly one at a time. If the route is long, you have to wait an indecently long time for a reply. Physicists sped up the process by dispatching ten 'postal trucks' — light pulses — into a single optical fiber, but in different time windows. In the experiment, two ions (charged atoms) in traps connected by a 1.2 km cable each received ten photons per cycle. This allowed them to create entanglement 4.59 times faster, with 95.9% accuracy.
This approach is like a construction set: you can add new ion nodes, and the network will speed up, bringing us closer to secure communication and distributed computing.
🎯 Without the ten-channel trick, entangling two charged atoms over a kilometer-long fiber would take minutes — about as long as it takes to brew a cup of coffee. Now it all happens in the time it takes you to blink.
🎬 The idea of instantaneous communication via entanglement underpins the plot of Liu Cixin's novel 'Through the Stars', where the heroes attempt to communicate with deep space without delay.