Quantum internet is coming; what is it and why does it matter?

By Nicole DiGiose, content editor

By relying on the underpinnings of quantum mechanics to conceal data from prying eyes, quantum cryptography is one of the most secure communication systems to date. In the future, it’s likely that we’ll have a data network built on these principles — an idea called quantum internet.

But what exactly is quantum internet? Basically, it’s when connected particles are linked together by the principle of quantum entanglement, and right now, it’s similar to the early days of the internet that we’re familiar with today. To get a good understanding of this technology-in-the-works, let’s take a look at a related example that’s already proven to be effective.

Image source: Pixabay.

Last summer, Chinese physicists launched the world’s first quantum satellite. Unlike the dishes that deliver your favorite sitcoms and sporting events, the 1,400-pound beast doesn’t beam radio waves. Instead, it was designed to send and receive bits of information encoded in photons on infrared light. Of course, it’s still being studied, as it’s a test of a budding technology called quantum communications, which could one day be more secure than existing info relay systems, according to experts. The physicists have published papers in the journals Science and Nature, describing how they sent entangled photons between the satellite and multiple ground stations.

So, think of it this way: If quantum communications were like mailing a letter, entangled photons are like the envelope. They carry the message while keeping it secure. Leader of the satellite’s research team, Jian-Wei Pan of the University of Science and Technology of China, wants to launch more quantum satellites in the next five years. He envisions that quantum communications will span multiple countries by 2030, meaning that in 13 years, you can expect quantum internet.

Broken down into simple terms, this will involve multiple parties pinging information at each other in the form of quantum signals. Beyond that, experts haven’t figured out what to do. “Quantum internet” is a vague term, as there’s no real definition as to what it really means yet. To be fair, much of the technology is obviously in its infancy.

One obstacle in the way of the technology’s growth is the fact that physicists can’t control or manipulate quantum signals very well. And although the quantum satellite was able to send and receive signals, it can’t store quantum information. Currently, the best quantum memories can only preserve information for less than an hour. Researchers also aren’t positive how they’d transmit signals between nodes of the future quantum web.

Of course, the research will take time. Even if this new international network is running by 2030, it by no means will make it an expert at handling your Instagram posts. So what’s the point of this all? Well, in the not-so-distant future, quantum internet could branch off our classic internet. Perhaps people could use classical computing to connect to a quantum network for specific tasks, such as connecting to a quantum network to send a message using quantum cryptography.

As inspired physicists think about quantum mechanics in new ways, consumers will be patiently waiting for their futuristic devices.