Quantum Teleportation Was Achieved Over The Internet For The First Time

(agsandrew/Getty Images)

A once-impossible engineering marvel was accomplished in 2024 when a quantum state of light was successfully teleported via over 30 kilometers (about 18 miles) of fiber optic cable while internet traffic was raging.

You might not be able to download your favorite cat videos more quickly or beat the morning traffic by beaming to work thanks to the amazing demonstration by US researchers.

However, teleporting quantum states across current infrastructure is a huge step toward improved encryption, a quantum-connected computing network, or potent new sensing techniques.

The study's lead computational engineer, Prem Kumar of Northwestern University, said, "This is really exciting because no one thought it was possible."

"Our study demonstrates a way to share a common fiber optic infrastructure between next-generation quantum and conventional networks. In essence, it makes it possible to advance quantum communications.

Teleportation takes the quantum possibilities of an object in one place and, by carefully destroying it, forces the same balance of possibilities onto a similar object in another place. This technique bears a passing resemblance to the Star Trek transport systems that instantly transport passengers across time and space.

The process of entangling the two things' quantum identities still necessitates conveying a single wave of information across locations in space, even though actions that measure them cement their destinies in the same instant.

Any object's quantum state is a hazy smear of possibility that may melt into reality moments after formation, much like fairy floss in a spring rain. Without any protection, the quantum significance is rapidly reduced to decoherence by electromagnetic radiation waves and the thermal bumping-and-grinding of moving particles.

It is one thing to protect quantum states within computers.  It is much more difficult to send a single photon across optical fibers while preserving its quantum state while humming with text messages, bank transactions, and kitten videos.  Hopefully, it will taste just as nice after you've thrown your quantum fairy floss into the Mississippi.

Optical fibers are used to transmit internet communication. (alphaspirit it/Canva)

 The researchers used a number of strategies to limit the photon's channel and lessen the likelihood that it would scatter and mix with other waves in order to protect their lonely photon's valuable state from a 400 gigabit-per-second internet traffic flow.

"We carefully studied how light is scattered and placed our photons at a judicial point where that scattering mechanism is minimized," Kumar explains.

 "We found we could perform quantum communication without interference from the classical channels that are simultaneously present."

 Kumar's team was the first to teleport a quantum state with an actual internet stream, while other research teams had already successfully transferred quantum information alongside traditional data streams in internet simulations.

Quantum nature of particles allows for states to be 'teleported', opening up new avenues of technology. (Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library/Getty Images)

The quantum internet is unavoidable, according to each test, and it will provide computing engineers with a whole new set of tools to measure, monitor, encrypt, and calculate our reality like never before without having to create a new internet.

"Quantum teleportation has the ability to provide quantum connectivity securely between geographically distant nodes," Kumar asserts.

However, a lot of people have long believed that no one would construct specialized infrastructure to transmit light particles. Proper wavelength selection will save us from having to construct new infrastructure. It is possible for quantum and classical communications to coexist.