Study proposes solutions for space-based quantum internet

The study suggests that quantum memories (QM) and repeaters, which are used in the transmission of the information, can be deployed to facilitate use of advanced internet technology. This is done through distribution of quantum entanglement, a phenomenon in which two particles are interlinked, potentially at vast distances from each other.

The research showed that satellites equipped with QMs provided entanglement distribution rates which were three orders of magnitude faster than those from fibre-based repeaters or space systems without QMs.

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The study has been published in the npj Quantum Information. It was led by Humboldt University in Berlin and involved the Institute of Optical Sensor Systems of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA).

In a statement, Dr Daniel Oi, senior lecturer in Strathclyde's Department of Physics, a partner in the research, said: "We show in this paper that this method would have much higher performance than previously proposed schemes and we identify promising physical systems with which to implement it.