Chinese scientists make quantum leap in secure direct communication

A participant experiences quantum video conference during the 2021 Quantum Industry Conference in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 18, 2021. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have realized the world's longest quantum secure direct communication (QSDC), measuring 100 km, according to the Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences.

The findings were unveiled in an article titled "Realization of quantum secure direct communication over 100 km fiber with time-bin and phase quantum states," published in early April in the journal Light: Science &Applications.

"QSDC has attracted much attention, and has become one of the strongest candidates for secure communication in the future," said the paper's introduction.

Before this breakthrough, the longest QSDC distance published was 18 km.

China has been advancing the industrial application of quantum technology. It has achieved a series of breakthroughs in quantum technology in recent years, including the world's first quantum satellite, a 2,000-km quantum communication line between Beijing and Shanghai, and the world's first optical quantum computing machine prototype.