The Australian government is building a secure data communication system using quantum key distribution (QKD) technology, which uses lasers to detect any attempt to eavesdrop. The QKD system uses one-time keys to encode and decode data, but the random key is encoded at the quantum level in the sidebeam in the phase and amplitude, or brightness and color, of a highly tuned laser. QuintessenceLabs founder Vikram Sharma, one of the system’s designers, says field trials with government agencies will be conducted over a fiber-optic network starting in the second half of this year. Sharma says the QKD network can be used for sensitive data, critical infrastructure, and secret commercial IP and financial information that requires ongoing protection. He says the QKD system uses as much off-the-shelf and open standard networking technology as possible to keep costs down and to make the system more robust. “The 21st century will see a number of advancements in quantum technologies, which will improve our lives in the much the same way that electricity and magnetism did in the previous century,” Sharma says. “We are likely to see more quantum technology work its way into a number of practical applications over the next few years.” Sharma designed the system with colleagues Ping Koy Lam, Thomas Symul, and Andrew Lance at the Australian National University.
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