Quantum Communications for Security and Quantum Computing
2. Hollow-core optical fiber [ 17 ]. Hollow-core fiber does not attenuate light as much as glasscore fiber. Distances achieved with hollow core fiber can be expected to be double that of glass, and it is also much more stable by greatly reducing the dispersive nature of glass in addition to eliminating Raman scattering of light.
3. Very short distances within a data center to network quantum computers. Companies like Xanadu and PsiQuantum [ 18 ] are working on this approach, which allows QPUs to receive qubits from other quantum computers, thereby achieving greater qubit counts for the network of quantum computers.
4. The physics of transduction [ 19 ]. Transduction enables quantum computers to communicate with each other. Transduction can occur in different ways for different quantum computer modalities. The trapped ion modality, for example, requires transduction to convert from microwave frequencies to optical frequencies. Superconducting modalities require an easier to achieve all-optical transduction system.
4 EXAMPLES OF QKD USE CASES IN THE FIELD
Research and development of quantum computing technologies is ongoing in multiple fields, but there are two in particular in which we are most likely to see real-world applications.
4.1 THE POWER GRID UNDER THREAT
The electric utility system in the United States is vulnerable, with at least 24,000 possible risk targets [ 20 ], according to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation( NERC), the nonprofit organization that regulates the reliability and security of the power grid in North America. It’ s estimated that about 70 percent of the U. S. utility infrastructure is more than 25 years old [ 21 ]. Operators are dealing with antiquated, overwhelmed networks in desperate need of modernization, and government groups such as the Department of Energy [ 22 ] and NIST [ 23 ] are working to update and develop cybersecurity policies and standards for a smart grid.
These programs are attracting corporate innovators like General Electric’ s GE Research group, which is“ using quantum communication to securely communicate time-sensitive coordination messages that are important to the resiliency of the power grid” [ 24 ]. Communication is at the heart of the electric system. Secure messages control incoming and outgoing power flow and connect the substations that route and control electricity to supply and distribution points [ 25 ].
Using QKD, operators can secure communications between points, sending an encrypted signal that can only be decrypted by the intended receiver. As the power grid is being updated and upgraded, QKD in concert with PQC can be a cost-effective and straightforward way to secure high-density paths along the network.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory( ORNL), the largest science and energy research center in the United States, has been testing QKD in the field [ 26 ]. In collaboration with the DOE and Toshiba, Oak Ridge scientists have implemented QKD hardware in proof-of-concept installations“ in the
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