In the era of ever-growing complex global networks that connect the earth's expanses with massive arrays of fibers and land links, information exchange is the cornerstone of human civilization today. These networks act as indispensable lifelines but their capacity and efficiency in handling the growth and sensitivity of information is increasingly being questioned. Scientists believe that the emerging field of quantum technologies heralds a bright future in this aspect.
Recent studies have demonstrated that quantum optics — the field that studies the interaction of light with matter — provides opportunities for experts to create more complex systems capable of instantaneously transferring information between two locations, as opposed to the current traditional state relying on physical connection for sending information from one place to another.
Quantum communication can only occur with the presence of three-dimensional quantum states which means requiring additional entangled photons to extend the capability to higher dimensions.
In a joint effort by experts from the University of Witwatersrand and the Institute of Optical Sciences, an experiment was conducted on sending a light beam using the property of instant transmission, marking the first attempt to transfer an image across a physically unconnected network.
In the study titled "Quantum teleportation of high-dimensional spatial information using a nonlinear detector," the research team led by Dr. Berenice Sefton used a nonlinear optical detector that eliminates the need for additional photons, offering a process that is more straightforward and efficient.
In an extraordinary demonstration, the detector proved capable of dealing with any information pattern that needs to be transmitted, and the pioneering work led to the discovery of 15 new dimensions that could pave the way for quantum network communications with high information capacities.
Practically applying this experiment to banking procedures, certain customers may be required to send sensitive information like a fingerprint to the bank. In the traditional scenario, there is a potential security gap, since the sent information is susceptible to interception by unauthorized parties. In other words, the traditional approach lacks the critical security measures that protect information during its transfer, making it vulnerable to eavesdropping or interception. But in the innovative experiment, an immediate transfer would occur without any physical link.
The only missing element in the previous example to make it possible is a bright laser beam required for the nonlinear detector to respond and notify the sender of what will be transmitted.
Hence, this technology is still under development and cannot be referred to as instantaneous transmission yet. However, it is conceivable in the future if the nonlinear detector becomes more efficient and advanced.
