Research breakthrough in China's quantum direct communication marks potential transition from theory to real-life implication

中国量子直接通信研究突破标志着从理论到现实意义的潜在转变

Illustration of the concept of quantum communication

量子通信概念图解

Chinese researchers proposed a one-way quasi-QSDC (quantum secure direct communication) protocol with single photons and successfully developed a functional system, marking a transition of QSDC from theoretical research to real-world implementation. This technology has potential for adoption in sectors demanding the highest levels of information security, according to Xinhua News Agency on Saturday.

我国研究人员提出了单光子单向准QSDC（量子安全直接通信）协议并成功研制了功能系统，标志着QSDC从理论研究向现实世界实现过渡。据新华社周六报道，这项技术有可能被要求最高级别信息安全的行业采用。

The research was conducted in collaboration with teams from the Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences, Tsinghua University, and North China University of Technology. The related findings have been published in the academic journal Science Advances.

该研究是与北京量子信息科学研究院、清华大学和北方工业大学的团队合作进行的。相关发现已发表在学术期刊《科学进展》上。

According to the report, QSDC was originally proposed by the team of Long Guilu, a professor from Tsinghua University. It utilizes quantum states to establish a secure communication framework, which incorporates five key attributes: eavesdropping detection, prevention, seamless network compatibility, streamlined management, and covert data transmission, offering an innovative approach to safeguarding data security in communications.

报道称，QSDC最初由清华大学教授龙桂禄团队提出。利用量子态建立了一个安全通信框架，它融合了窃听检测、防范、无缝网络兼容、精简管理、数据保密传输五大特性，为通信数据安全保障提供了创新的思路。

A major hurdle in QSDC development has been ensuring secure and reliable communication via quantum states, which have extremely low energy and are highly susceptible to interference, especially in quantum channels with high noise, high loss, and potential eavesdropping risks, said the report.

报告称，QSDC开发的一个主要障碍是确保通过量子态进行安全可靠的通信，量子态的能量极低，极易受到干扰，特别是在具有高噪声、高损耗和潜在窃听风险的量子信道中。

In previous research, the two communicating parties required the transmission of quantum states back and forth, resulting in significant system loss and severely limiting communication performance.

在以往的研究中，通信双方需要来回传输量子态，导致系统损耗显著，严重限制了通信性能。

"In 2022, we set a world record for QSDC over 100 kilometers, but the rate was only 0.5 bps, which limited transmissions to extremely short messages," said Long to Xinhua.

“2022年，我们创造了100公里以上QSDC的世界纪录，但速率仅为0.5 bps，这限制了传输极短的消息，”龙告诉新华社。

Long said that one-way transmission can halve the distance of quantum state transmission, significantly reducing loss and serving as a key to improving the performance of QSDC.

Long表示，单向传输可以将量子态传输的距离减半，显著降低损耗，是提高QSDC性能的关键。

In this research, teams overcame a series of key technical challenges, successfully achieving stable data transmission of 2.38 kilobits over a 104.8-kilometer standard fiber-optic network in a 168-hour experimental test. This represents a 4,760-fold improvement over the 2022 system, significantly advancing QSDC performance, Xinhua reported.

在这项研究中，团队克服了一系列关键技术挑战，在168小时的实验测试中成功实现了在104.8公里标准光纤网络上2.38千比特的稳定数据传输。据新华社报道，这比2022年系统提高了4,760倍，显着提高了QSDC性能。

"This research achievement ushers in a new era for QSDC's practical applications. In the future, QSDC systems are expected to be widely used in fields such as government affairs and finance, which demand the highest levels of data protection, greatly strengthening data transmission security," said Long.

“这项研究成果为QSDC的实际应用开创了一个新时代。未来，QSDC系统有望广泛应用于政务和金融等对数据保护等级要求最高的领域，大大加强数据传输安全性，”Long说。

Global Times

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