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Quantum light on tour - How single photons influence the future of communication

Begin: End: Location: Hörsaalgebäude II, Hörsaal 1 und 2
Event type:
  • Veranstaltungen
  • Brötchen-und-Borussia
© Oliver Schaper​/​TU Dortmund
Portrait von Doris Reiter
Lecture in the series "Brötchen and Borussia" by Dr. Doris Reiter, Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University

When we communicate online today, it is usually via light - light that is sent through fiber optic cables in the form of pulses. However, the smallest unit of light, the so-called single photon, plays by its own rules, namely those of quantum physics. This brings with it a few challenges, but also many exciting possibilities. Quantum communication is particularly advantageous in terms of security: messages that are transmitted using single photons can be made absolutely secure by the laws of physics.

To produce single photons, for example, you can operate a laser very weakly - but this is quite unreliable because the single photons come at random. That's why you need special sources, so-called quantum emitters.

In this lecture, I will explain how such quantum emitters work and how far the technology has come. We will also look at what we still need to build a real quantum internet. Finally, there will be an insight into the “QuanTour” project, in which a quantum emitter travels across Europe and promotes the International Quantum Year 2025.

Link to the live-stream