Insider Brief<\/p>\n
Brookhaven National Laboratory and Stony Brook University researchers transmitted quantum information through 13 miles of open air, marking the first U.S. demonstration of its kind and extending their quantum network beyond fiber-optic cables. <\/p>\n
Nighttime tests successfully distributed and measured entangled photons across the free-space optical link, advancing efforts to develop wireless quantum communications. <\/p>\n
Researchers plan to extend the network with a 30-mile link to Yale University and ultimately explore satellite connections that could support long-distance quantum communications and distributed quantum systems.<\/p>\n
PRESS RELEASE \u2014 Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy\u2019s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and the State University of New York at Stony Brook (Stony Brook University) have successfully transmitted light particles containing quantum information through open air between the two institutions. This is the first demonstration of its kind in the United States and a key milestone toward extending the nation\u2019s longest quantum network \u2014 already connecting eight nodes across several institutions \u2014 beyond the limits of fiber-optic cables.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe future of quantum information science will depend not only on what individual quantum computers and devices can do but on our ability to connect them,\u201d said DOE Under Secretary for Science Dar\u00edo Gil. \u201cAs DOE advances its Genesis Mission, we are building toward an interconnected research ecosystem where advanced computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum technologies can work together to tackle some of our most complex scientific challenges. The capabilities demonstrated by Brookhaven Lab and Stony Brook University today are an important step toward making that vision possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
During a daytime demonstration on Friday, Aug. 21, researchers used a laser to generate quantum states of light, each containing just a few individual photons, in Stony Brook University\u2019s state-of-the-art Quantum Watchtower. From the Watchtower, located on the roof of Stony Brook\u2019s Health Sciences Center in Stony Brook, New York, the photons exited the core of an optical fiber only about 5 microns in diameter \u2014 less than one-tenth the width of a human hair \u2014 and traversed 13 miles (21 kilometers) to Brookhaven\u2019s Quantum Lighthouse in Upton, New York.<\/p>\n
In the Lighthouse, Gil cut a ribbon blocking the receiving aperture, allowing the photons to reach the detector. Researchers and distinguished guests gathered in the Quantum Lighthouse \u2014 built on top of the only Brookhaven Lab building with a clear line of sight to Stony Brook University \u2014 to watch as an ultrafast camera marked the photons\u2019 arrival in an equally small optical fiber.<\/p>\n
The daytime demonstration showcased the extraordinary precision of this free-space optical (FSO) link between the two institutions, with researchers transmitting photons between fiber-optic cables that are only a fraction of a millimeter in diameter and separated by several miles. But the team has already progressed to the next phase of experimentation using entangled photons \u2014 pairs of light particles that are intrinsically linked by the laws of quantum mechanics.<\/p>\n
During nighttime tests, when there are lower levels of background light, the researchers successfully sent entangled photons from the Stony Brook physics laboratory to the Quantum Watchtower via fiber, then distributed them across the new FSO link, and successfully received and measured them at the Quantum Lighthouse. This is a key advance toward achieving sustained \u201cwireless\u201d exchange of quantum information between the two institutions \u2014 and eventually beyond.<\/p>\n
The FSO link \u2014 which includes the Quantum Lighthouse and Quantum Watchtower, along with a third facility under development at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut \u2014 adds a wireless component to the record-setting quantum network currently spanning 161 miles and several institutions across Long Island and the New York metropolitan area.<\/p>\n
Using this network, pioneered by Stony Brook and Brookhaven Lab, researchers can transmit entangled photons through commercial fiber. Because the particles remain entangled even when separated by long distances, measuring one photon instantly reveals information about its counterpart. This property, often referred to as \u201cspooky action at a distance,\u201d is key for the future of ultra-secure communications, advanced quantum sensing, and networked quantum computing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn our long-distance fiber network, we routinely transmit entangled pairs of photons. However, such fiber networks are limited to the use of telecom wavelengths. In our new quantum wireless links, we are exploring the use of infrared wavelengths that are native to quantum processors and related technologies,\u201d said Eden Figueroa, director of Stony Brook\u2019s Quantum Institute, endowed presidential professor of physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences, and a joint appointee at Brookhaven Lab. \u201cThis will provide a direct route to create entangled atomic systems across long distances.\u201d<\/p>\n
State University of New York at Stony Brook President Andrea Goldsmith said, \u201cExtending our quantum communication network to include a wireless link is a major leap forward in our development of the Quantum Internet of Things. I\u2019m thrilled that our brilliant Stony Brook researchers, together with our partners at Brookhaven National Laboratory, have demonstrated impressive progress in overcoming the significant challenges of sending quantum information wirelessly via entangled photons. By unlocking wireless quantum connectivity and incorporating it into the world\u2019s only metropolitan-area network that supports quantum communication via entanglement, we are transforming secure data transmission while igniting Long Island as an innovation hub. We are profoundly grateful to our elected officials, Governor Hochul, Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, and Rep. LaLota for their generous support and for securing investments in Long Island\u2019s quantum research. Ultimately, this places New York State at the forefront of quantum information science and its application to secure communication for finance, healthcare, and cybersecurity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Building the FSO link<\/p>\n
In some ways, the classical internet\u2019s evolution from wired connections to a complex network of wired and wireless technologies provides a roadmap for reaching milestones toward a global quantum network. But the researchers also needed to draw on expertise from a seemingly unrelated field: astronomy.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s classical wireless technologies, including cell phones and orbiting satellites, use radio frequencies to transmit information without a physical connection. But radio frequencies are far too noisy to preserve fragile quantum information. Instead, the researchers turned to optical light for sending quantum signals through open air.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople think of telescopes as tools for looking up into space, but the same technologies that allow astronomers to precisely collect and control light are essential for these quantum experiments,\u201d said Justine Haupt, Brookhaven Lab\u2019s lead scientist on the cross-institutional FSO link project.<\/p>\n
Haupt and her colleagues at Brookhaven are experts when it comes to telescopes, having built key components for several high-profile astronomy projects. But because there is more turbulent atmosphere between Brookhaven Lab and Stony Brook University than there is between Earth and the stars, the scientists needed to develop technology sophisticated enough to ensure the photons could travel between institutions without becoming distorted or losing their fragile quantum information. But that was only one piece of a much larger puzzle.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth Brookhaven and Stony Brook needed to build specialized rooftop facilities for the telescope systems that were optimized for quantum experiments,\u201d Haupt said. \u201cWe needed to integrate the optics, controls, communications, quantum sources, and detectors so equipment 21 kilometers apart could operate as one experiment. Bringing all those pieces together \u2014 and then adding the quantum layer \u2014 is what makes this capability unique.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNew York State is committed to investing in cutting-edge research and innovation in emerging fields that move our society forward,\u201d New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said. \u201cThe partnership between the State University of New York at Stony Brook and Brookhaven National Laboratory serves as an excellent example of how collaboration can advance discovery and create transformative technologies.\u201d<\/p>\n
YouTube: Detected Entangled Photons<\/a><\/p>\n At 12:26 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 19, researchers at Brookhaven Lab\u2019s Quantum Lighthouse detected entangled photons arriving from Stony Brook\u2019s Quantum Watchtower. The graph\u2019s uptick on the far right around 0:37, coinciding with the \u201cEntanglement Source ON\u201d text, marks the arrival of entangled photons. (Brookhaven National Laboratory)<\/p>\n Looking ahead<\/p>\n Yale\u2019s facility \u2014 the third leg of the FSO link \u2014 was recently completed, and the researchers will soon begin establishing the Stony Brook-Yale connection so they can also transmit entangled photons 30 miles (48 kilometers) across the Long Island Sound.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile completing this longer leg, the team is simultaneously moving toward one of our ultimate goals: transmitting quantum information through Earth\u2019s atmosphere to orbiting satellites,\u201d said Brookhaven Lab Associate Laboratory Director for Discovery Technologies Gabriella Carini. \u201cIncorporating satellites into the network could help bring secure quantum communications to rural or remote locations with minimal ground-based telecommunications infrastructure, transforming the quantum network from a regional one to a global one.\u201d<\/p>\n Expanding beyond the limits of fiber also opens the door to new kinds of quantum experiments by enabling researchers to use photons with wavelengths, or \u201ccolors,\u201d different from the telecommunications wavelengths optimized for commercial fibers. Many quantum technologies naturally operate at these other wavelengths, making free-space links a promising path toward linking quantum devices across long distances. Researchers ultimately envision using the FSO link to connect quantum computers at Brookhaven and Stony Brook \u2014 and beyond \u2014 enabling them to work together and tackle some of the nation\u2019s most pressing scientific challenges.<\/p>\n \u201cBrookhaven has long been at the forefront of quantum information science, and this achievement represents another important step in that journey,\u201d said Brookhaven Lab Director John Hill. \u201cThis free-space link is a key milestone in its own right, but it is also part of a much larger roadmap leading to distributed quantum systems. We will continue advancing the network\u2019s capabilities so that researchers can connect increasingly sophisticated quantum systems together to address a range of problems, from computation to communication to sensing, in ways that just aren\u2019t possible today.\u201d<\/p>\n U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota said, \u201cUnder Secretary Gil\u2019s return to Brookhaven National Lab is another reminder that some of the world\u2019s most important scientific work is happening right here in Suffolk County. Quantum research will play a major role in shaping the technologies we rely on every day, while strengthening our national security and ensuring America remains at the forefront of scientific innovation. At a time when Washington must spend taxpayer dollars wisely, I\u2019m focused on prioritizing smart, targeted investments in projects and partnerships at Brookhaven and Stony Brook that support good-paying Long Island jobs, advance groundbreaking research, and keep America leading the world in innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n Empire State Development Board Chairman Kevin Law said, \u201cLong Island has long been home to some of the world\u2019s most important scientific institutions, and today\u2019s milestone demonstrates what is possible when those institutions work together. The partnership between Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory is helping establish Long Island as a leader in quantum technology and positioning the region to attract talent, investment, and future economic growth for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n The work at Brookhaven Lab is primarily supported by the DOE Office of Science. At Stony Brook University, the work is supported by the National Science Foundation and New York\u2019s Empire State Development.<\/p>\n Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit\u00a0science.energy.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow @BrookhavenLab on social media. Find us on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>,\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>,\u00a0X<\/a>, and\u00a0Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Insider Brief Brookhaven National Laboratory and Stony Brook University researchers transmitted quantum information through 13 miles of open…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":594469,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[85,46,370,141],"class_list":["post-594468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-physics","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-physics","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594468"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594468\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}