Single Photons from Space

Tuesday, March 25, 2008 | 17:12

It has now been demonstrated that single photons can be sent from a satellite to Earth and detected using existing technology.

This work not only opens up the possibility of a network of satellites sending quantum encrypted messages around the world, but it should allow scientists to carry out experiments in fundamental quantum physics. Among these is the Bell inequality, which is a way of testing "non-local" correlations between particles.

The team's next step is to demonstrate that it can send an actual quantum key from a dedicated satellite. #

The research paper: "Experimental verification of the feasibility of a quantum channel between Space and Earth."