Latest news with #MirkoPittaluga
Euronews
18-06-2025
- Science
- Euronews
Scientists test quantum network over the longest distance yet
Scientists in Germany have successfully demonstrated a record-scale quantum communication network using existing infrastructure, a breakthrough that could usher in an 'ultra-secure' connection for quantum computers. Quantum communication is an emerging technology that uses quantum mechanical effects for information transfer. It has attracted significant attention in recent years due to its potential in applications in areas such as quantum computing, secure data transmission, and high precision sensor networks. Up until till now, quantum networks were only feasible at a smaller scale, about half the distance of this new achievement, or in strictly controlled lab conditions with pricy cooling equipment. Researchers at Toshiba Europe sent quantum signals over a 254-kilometre commercial fibre-optic network in Germany, specifically between Frankfurt and Kehl. They used existing telecom infrastructure, standard single-mode fibres already used for today's Internet infrastructure. 'All prior deployments of over-fibre quantum communication were limited to much shorter distances, about half of what we achieved. And this is due to a fundamental limitation of previous technology,' Mirko Pittaluga, the former Senior Research Scientist at Toshiba Europe, told Euronews Next. 'Our experiment is the first real-world implementation of a specific powerful class of quantum communication protocols, which is called coherent quantum communication,' he added. Quantum computing heralds unprecedented potential in improved performance for useful applications like drug discovery and optimisation, thanks to its advanced processing. But such immense computational power can also be used to break traditional encryption. When we use today's Internet to communicate with someone online on a website or via a video call, an encryption key with the counterpart is established. 'The current communication security methods are based on mathematical problems which are presumed to be quite hard for computers to solve and that's a very good assumption with classical computers.' Robert Woodward, the lead of Fibre-Quantum Communications at Toshiba Europe, told Euronews Next. 'But in the quantum era that assumption breaks down and now quantum computers are able to challenge the encryption that we use today,' he added. Experts say, for such advanced tech, we need to build a new network system that will offer the safety and security needed in a post-quantum world. 'Security and privacy are really the backbone of our digital economy and really essential in today's society. So we need to communicate securely,' Woodward said. Quantum has a lot more computational power for certain tasks, but also has the potential to break the way that we currently communicate, he added. 'So what we do in quantum communications is we use quantum as a technology to solve that problem,' he said. Toshiba Europe team's recent experiment demonstrated ultra-secure communications by using single photons of light, a single light particle. 'Because of the use of single photons, we're effectively able to open this new toolbox of quantum mechanics and with it achieve new functions such as ultra-secure communications'. This approach, relying on preserving the phase of light signals over very long distances, has been challenging to do outside a lab. It also required big, complex and expensive equipment, some of which needs to cool down to almost absolute zero, or minus 273 degrees Celsius. 'But with our approach, we overcame all these challenges using scalable and simpler technology, which allowed us to implement a cutting-edge quantum communication protocol, which is called twin field quantum key distribution, which really is the secret sauce of what we did,' Woodward said. Researchers say the standard fibres designed for classical data are actually quite effective at transmitting quantum signals as well, but their inherent losses need to be properly managed. Instead of information flowing in one direction, as in conventional quantum communication, their design allows both users to send quantum signals to a central node where the signals are combined. The novel approach allowed the researchers to double the communication distances and reach a much larger area, all while using the existing fibre infrastructure. Researchers compare the potential of quantum communication with the impact of the transition from copper wires and electronic communication to optical fibre and optical communications. 'What is most striking about what we did is that we did it with very practical and scalable technology, meaning that potentially we could replicate these in the future many, many times and showing that fundamentally these very advanced forms of communication are actually compatible with real-world operational environments,' Pittaluga said. 'And we really think that this is a significant step forward for practical and large-scale quantum networks,' he added. While quantum Internet has been much hyped as the next revolution in the research community, this breakthrough in practical and large-scale quantum networks is more like building blocks toward the quantum internet, the research team explained.. 'We are not yet at the moment of a deployment that is similar to that of the current Internet,' Pittaluga said. 'We implemented a quantum network. So, a network that has this capability of distributing quantum information. And when I think about if we keep growing this capability of implementing quantum networkseventually, we are going to build a very large quantum Internet,' he added. Many countries are racing to build a quantum network and are heavily investing, with China being one of the frontrunners, according to experts. The European Commission aims to develop an EU-wide quantum network via its European Quantum Communication Infrastructure Initiative (EuroQCI). In 2021, EuroQCI was designated a strategic priority, and member states are currently working to develop and deploy links of quantum key distribution (QKD), a highly secure way of exchanging encryption keys. According to Petrus EuroQCI, an EU-funded consortium to oversee national quantum communication infrastructure projects across the continent, the goal is to have an operational pan-European quantum communication infrastructure in place by 2027. For more on this story, watch the video in the media player above. Amazon and the European Parliament are at odds over whether a boss from the US tech giant should appear before a parliamentary committee later this month, sources familiar with the matter told Euronews. The Parliament has made the 26 June hearing at the Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL) a precondition for Amazon regaining access to its premises, after the tech giant's access badges were withdrawn in February last year because the company failed to attend a series of hearings and factory visits in 2021 and 2023 related to workers' rights. The committee has asked London-based Senior Vice President Russell Grandinetti to appear before it. Grandinetti joined the company in 1998 and is now responsible for leading Amazon's international e-commerce business across Europe, UK, Japan, India, China, Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, the Middle East and Australia. In an email exchange seen by Euronews, Amazon responded saying that two other senior officials – Luxembourg-based Stefano Perego, vice president of international operations and global operations services, and Lucy Cronin, a Dublin-based vice president for EU public policy – would be better placed to answer the committee's questions on working conditions. But the committee is resisting those speakers, claiming they don't meet the required level of seniority, and is refusing to accept them. The email did not specify whether the hearing would be cancelled. Euronews understands that the hearing will still go ahead. Other speakers that were scheduled to attend the EMPL hearing were representatives from unions as well as Amazon workers. During a UK parliamentary hearing on the Employment Rights Bill last December, Amazon representatives that attended were directors, a level below Perego and Cronin in terms of seniority. During its previous five-year mandate, the EMPL committee twice invited Amazon to discuss working conditions in its EU facilities. But in May 2021 and January 2024, the company declined the invitations. Planned visits to facilities in Poland and Germany scheduled for December 2023 also never took place. Last November the Parliament said Amazon must attend a hearing and arrange for MEPs to visit one of its fulfilment centres before it would consider lifting the restrictions. Lawmaker Laila Chaibi (France, GUE/NGL) said in a reaction to Euronews that: "Workers are deprived of their rights, they are watched continuously, pressured by their leadership constantly. [...] And once again, when elected representatives ask for a visit, we are blocked, it's easier to visit a prison facility than an Amazon warehouse." Oliver Roethig, Regional Secretary at trade union UNI Europa, echoed this comments and said that decisions about Amazon workers' conditions "are not made in Luxembourg." "They are made at the highest echelons of Amazon's management structure: the S-Team. We demand that Amazon make available S-Team members to be held accountable by the Committee," Roethig added. Amazon said in a previous statement that it treats its responsibilities to the Parliament and other institutions 'seriously', and that it agrees 'that a company such as ours—with over 150,000 employees in the EU alone—should be scrutinised.' 'We also believe that it's important to scrutinise the whole industry in addition to individual companies, and to have sessions that are designed to understand facts, not just make political points,' the statement said. Amazon and the European Parliament were contacted for a comment.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Unhackable quantum messages travel 158 miles without cryogenics for first time
Cybersecurity experts often warn that a moment known as Q-Day is nearby—a day when quantum computers will become powerful enough to break all the encryption methods we currently rely on to keep our information secure. Q-Day is not some imaginary situation but a real-world threat that could disrupt the internet and global digital infrastructure. Various government agencies and private organizations are already taking measures to withstand attacks from powerful quantum computers. These measures include the development of new encryption methods designed to resist quantum attacks, as well as exploring techniques like quantum key distribution (QKD) to secure communications at a fundamental level. Recently, a team of researchers from Toshiba Europe successfully transmitted messages over a 254-kilometer (~158 miles) stretch of existing fiber-optic infrastructure using QKD cryptography. Such a feat has been achieved for the first time. Moreover, unlike typical quantum communication setups, this method didn't require a cryogenic system or an advanced, high-tech laser. 'This work opens the door to practical quantum networks without needing exotic hardware,' Mirko Pittaluga, one of the researchers, said in an interview with IEEE Spectrum. To achieve long-distance quantum messaging, the researchers set up a network across 254 kilometers of commercial optical fiber in Germany, linking data centers in Frankfurt and Kehl, with a central relay node in Kirchfeld. In most quantum communication systems, keeping the light waves precisely synchronized over long distances requires stable lasers. However, instead of using expensive ultrastable lasers, the researchers used a simpler method. The central node in Kirchfeld sent laser beams to both Frankfurt and Kehl, providing a common reference. This allowed the researchers to synchronize the light phases effectively without needing highly specialized equipment. For detecting weak quantum signals, traditional systems usually rely on superconducting nanowire detectors, which are very sensitive but require costly and bulky cryogenic cooling units. The team instead used avalanche photodiodes, semiconductor devices capable of detecting single photons. Avalanche photodiodes are much cheaper and operate at room temperature, but they are less efficient and more prone to false detections. To overcome these limitations, the researchers sent a reference laser pulse along with the quantum data and installed two sets of avalanche photodiodes at each receiving station. One set dealt with quantum communication, while the other set monitored the reference signals. This setup helped correct errors caused by vibrations, temperature changes, and other disturbances in the optical fiber cables. All these clever techniques allowed the researchers to successfully demonstrate QKD over a 254 km optical fiber network, which is double the distance achieved during previous experiments. Although, for now, the system is capable of transmitting data at only 110 bits per second, it still marks a significant breakthrough for something that was once thought to be impossible. The researchers suggest that boosting the data rate beyond 110 bits per second is the next big goal. One simple way to do this is by making the system encode faster. For instance, currently, it runs at 500 megahertz. Using existing technology, it could be scaled up to a few gigahertz. This alone could boost the data transmission rate by nearly ten times. Moreover, they are also working on building quantum repeaters, special devices that could prevent signal losses and further increase the distance and speed of quantum messaging. Hopefully, further research will help scientists realize all these goals soon, helping to build a more secure digital world before Q-Day arrives. The study is published in the journal Nature.
Mint
23-04-2025
- Science
- Mint
In a first, scientists sent quantum messages a record distance over a traditional network
Scientists have sent quantum information across a record-breaking 158 miles using ordinary computers and fiber-optic cables. It is the first time coherent quantum communication—an ultrasecure means of transmitting data—has been achieved using existing telecommunications infrastructure, without the expensive cryogenic cooling that is typically required. 'Our equipment was running alongside the fibers that we use for regular communication literally buried underneath the roads and train stations," said Mirko Pittaluga, a physicist and lead author of a study published Wednesday in Nature describing the work. Integrating the technology into existing infrastructure using largely off-the-shelf equipment is a key step in expanding the accessibility of quantum communication and its use in encrypting information for more secure transmission of data, according to multiple physicists and engineers who weren't involved in the study. 'This is about as real-world as one could imagine," said David Awschalom, a professor of physics and molecular engineering at the University of Chicago who wasn't a part of the new work. 'It's an impressive, quite beautiful demonstration." Classical digital information is communicated over the internet in units known as bits that have fixed values of 1 or 0. In contrast, quantum information is transmitted in qubits, which can store multiple values at once, making quantum communications more secure. Pittaluga and his colleagues at Toshiba Europe sent quantum information from regular computers hooked into the telecommunications network at data centers in the German cities of Kehl and Frankfurt, relaying them through a detector at a third data center roughly midway between them in Kirchfeld. The three-location setup enabled the group to extend the distance the messages were sent more than 150 miles, an uninterrupted distance only ever achieved in a laboratory environment. Working at these types of distances, Awschalom said, means that quantum information could be sent across entire metropolitan areas or between nearby cities, making it useful for hospitals, banks and other institutions, for which secure communications are paramount. Other groups in the U.K. and U.S., including researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, are also working on extending the distances achievable by quantum communication. Pittaluga said that his team's work is critical to solving the problem of keeping sensitive data out of the reach of hackers. Today, bank statements, health records and other data transmitted online are protected using mathematically formulated encryption keys. These keys are the only means of unlocking the data, keeping it secure from cyber thieves. For conventional computers, breaking these keys takes an impractically long time, but quantum computers are up to the task, and as they become more powerful, encryption keys become vulnerable to attack. 'Anything meaningful that's over the internet can be tapped, recorded and saved for the next decade, and can be decrypted years later," according to Prem Kumar, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northwestern University, who wasn't a part of the new work. 'It's what's called harvest now and decrypt later." One means of fixing this problem, Pittaluga said, is through quantum cryptography, which relies on the physics of quantum mechanics rather than mathematical algorithms to generate encryption keys. 'The likelihood of them being able to reverse engineer a quantum key, which is the number you would need to decrypt your information, is vanishingly small," according to Awschalom. But to use quantum encryption keys, you have to successfully distribute them across meaningful distances, a task that has stymied researchers outside the lab for decades. Internet and telecommunications infrastructure are based on optical fibers all over the world that carry pulses of light containing photons. Classical bits of information are sent as a single impulse of light carrying tens of millions of photons. Quantum information, stored in qubits, is sent in a package of a single photon. Efficiently detecting single photons usually requires expensive superconducting detectors that cost on the order of hundreds of thousands of dollars. These high-efficiency sensors must be cryogenically cooled, using liquid helium, to super low temperatures below minus 454 degrees Fahrenheit, making the technology expensive and incompatible with existing infrastructure. Pittaluga and his colleagues at Toshiba got around this by using cheaper detectors known as avalanche photodiodes, which cost just thousands of dollars and can run at or just below room temperature, like today's traditional internet equipment. Such detectors hadn't been used for coherent quantum communication before, as they can be nearly an order of magnitude less efficient at detecting single photons and are affected by what is called the afterpulse effect—when the current detection is frustrated by leftover echoes from an earlier transmission. Superconducting detectors aren't affected by afterpulsing, Pittaluga said. To address the effect in the more practical and cost-effective photodiodes, his group employed two separate sets of the detectors, using one to read the signal and the other to remove the environmental noise from that signal. The goal of this setup is to bring us one step closer to a quantum internet, with incredibly secure information, Pittaluga said. But despite this innovation, the technology remains expensive and difficult to implement compared with current encryption systems and networks—for now. 'My personal view is that we'll be seeing quantum encryption of data sets and metropolitan scale quantum networks within a decade," Awschalom said. Write to Aylin Woodward at
