Satellites can now set up quantum communications links through the air during the day instead of just at night, potentially helping a nigh-unhackable space-based quantum Internet to operate 24-7, a new study from Chinese scientists finds.

Quantum cryptography exploits the quantum properties of particles such as photons to help encrypt and decrypt messages in a theoretically unhackable way. Scientists worldwide are now endeavoring to develop satellite-based quantum communications networks for a global real-time quantum Internet.

However, prior experiments with long-distance quantum communications links through the airwere mostly conducted at night because sunlight serves as a source of noise. Previously, the maximum range for day-time free-space quantum communication was 10 kilometers,says study co-senior author Qiang Zhang, a quantum physicist at the University of Science and Technology of China in Shanghai.

Now researchers led by quantum physicist Jian-Wei Pan at the University of Science and Technology of China at Hefei have successfully established 53-kilometer quantum cryptography links during the day between two ground stations. This research suggests that such links could work between a satellite and either a ground station or another satellite, they say.

To overcome interference from sunlight, the researchers switched from the roughly 700-to-900-nanometer wavelengths of light used in all prior day-time free-space experiments to roughly 1,550 nm. The sun is about one-fifth as bright at 1,550 nanometers as it is at 800 nanometers, and 1,550-nanometer light can also pass through Earth's atmosphere with virtually no interference. Moreover, this wavelength is also currently widely used in telecommunications, making it more compatible with existing networks.

Previous research was reluctant to use 1,550-nanometer light because of a lack of good commercial single-photon detectors capable of working at this wavelength. But the Shanghai group developed a compact single-photon detector for 1,550-nanometer light that could work at room temperature. Moreover, the scientists developed a receiver that needed less than one tenth of the field of view that receivers for night-time quantum communications links usually need to work. This limited the amount of noise from stray light by a factor of several hundred.

In experiments, the scientists repeatedly established quantum communications links across Qinghai Lake, the biggest lake in China, from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time on several sunny days, achieving transmission rates of 20 to 400 bits per second. Furthermore, they could establish these links despite roughly 48 decibels of loss in their communications channel, which is more than the roughly 40 to 45 decibels of loss typically seen in communications channels between satellites and the ground and between low-Earth-orbit satellites, Zhang says. In comparison, previous day-time free-space quantum communications experiments could only accommodate roughly 20 decibels of noise.

The researchers note that their experiments were performed in good weather, and that quantum communication is currently not possible in bad weather with todays technology. Still, they note that bad weather is only a problem for ground-to-space links, and that it would not pose a problem for links between satellites.

In the future, the researchers expect to boost transmission rates and distance using better single-photon detectors, perhaps superconducting ones. They may also seek to exploit the quantum phenomenon known as entanglement to carry out more sophisticated forms of quantum cryptography, although this will require generating very bright sources of entangled photons that can operate in a narrow band of wavelengths, Zhang says.

The scientists detailed their findings online 24 July in the journal Nature Photonics.

IEEE Spectrums general technology blog, featuring news, analysis, and opinions about engineering, consumer electronics, and technology and society, from the editorial staff and freelance contributors.

Sign up for the Tech Alert newsletter and receive ground-breaking technology and science news from IEEE Spectrum every Thursday.

Two quantum leaps in quantum communication 9Nov2015

In two new trials, satellites set distance records for beaming photons usable in quantum crypto 21Jul

Draft Defense Authorization Act includes $15 million for national rollout of Stanford-originated Hacking for Defense class 25Jul

Inexpensive and small, this GPS receiver turbocharged the market for integrated navigation in mobile devices 30Jun

Record distance for quantum entanglement set at more than 1,200 km 15Jun

Dust-sized micrometeroids can cause an EMP "like a mini-nuke" that could wreck satellite electronics 3May

Facebook's Yael Maguire talks about millimeter wave networks, Aquila, and flying tethered antennas at the F8 developer conference 19Apr

NASAs new geosensing satellites may be on the chopping block. The timing could hardly be worse 24Mar

NASAs new geosensing satellites may be on the chopping block. The timing could hardly be worse 9Mar

The RSGS spacecraft could visit and inspect dozensofsatellites 8Mar

India plans to launch 103 satellites at once next month; Spaceflight Industries is launching a system for 87 in February 4Jan

Stanford students meet with John Kerry, U.S. State Department officials, and diplomats from around the world as they take on real-world problems 21Dec2016

Computer models combine daytime satellite images, nighttime lighting, and survey data to estimate poverty levels 18Aug2016

The mission will test quantum linksin principle unhackablebetween space and the ground 16Aug2016

Polish-less technology also offers "smart optics" for deforming the mirror in different telescope orientations 14Jul2016

Is this solar-powered remote plant monitor the most sensor-packed gadget on the Internet of Things? 12Jul2016

Claire, a Canadian microsatellite launched in June, is gearing up to take high-res snapshots of greenhouse gas plumes 5Jul2016

Claire, a Canadian microsatellite launched in June, is gearing up to take high-resolution snapshots of greenhouse gas plumes 5Jul2016

Eyeing the space boom, the company plans to launch a constellation of CubeSats 27Jun2016

Hundreds of threatened and endangered turtles wash ashore in Chesapeake Bay each year, and no one knows why 20Jun2016

Continued here:
Quantum Cryptography System Breaks Daylight Distance Record - IEEE Spectrum

SK Telecom is adding a new level of security to the Internet of Things (IoT) by embedding a small quantum random number generator (QRNG) chip into its IoT devices. QRNG chips generates random numbers without any pattern, which is intended to increase the level of security.

The South Korean operator also said that its QRNG chip will be just 5 millimeters (mm) by 5 mm in size, making it small enough to embed in a variety of devices.

According to Sam Hale, analyst with MachNation, hardware-based random number generation, like the QRNG chip, has existed for some time and is already largely deployed in some business sectors. In fact, Hale said that random number generators (of which QRNG is a subset), have existed in various formats for decades and Intel currently uses this type of technology for its Intel Secure Key brand.

The benefit to IoT is that QRNG ensures common encryption methods cannot be broken due to weaknesses within their random number generators. The QRNG technology magnifies very small scale quantum uncertainties to a much larger scale.

SK Telecom has not yet determined the price of its QRNG chips, but said that it will work with partners to accelerate the popularity of QRNG and increase its presence in the market.

However, Hale said that SK may have some difficulty getting traction for its QRNG chip as both Intel and ARM, which currently produce the majority of IoT processors, already use competing technologies or have QRNG technology already embedded in them.

SK Telecom has been investing heavily in IoT. The company said earlier this year that it would invest $9 billion over the next three years in artificial intelligence (AI), IoT, autonomous vehicles, and 5G.

Sue is VP of Content and Editor-in-Chief at SDxCentral. Sue covers 5G and IoT for SDxCentral as well as overseeing all the editorial content on the site. Prior to SDxCentral, Sue was the Editor-in-Chief of FierceMarkets Telecom Group. Sue has more than 20 years of experience reporting on the telecom industry, including roles as the Executive Editor at Wireless Week and Managing Editor at Convergence magazine. She has also worked as an analyst for Paul Kagan Associates, specializing in wireless and broadband technologies. She can be reached at smarek@sdxcentral.com

The rest is here:
SK Telecom Develops Quantum Cryptography Chip for IoT - SDxCentral

China is set to launch a new "unhackable" communications network built upon cutting-edge quantum cryptography, promising to revolutionise the process of encryption. State media said the city of Jinan will be "the first in the world" to use the secure technology in government.

Scientists claimed the network, which reportedly cost 120m yuan ($19.5m, 15m) to construct, will connect government offices in the city. Roughly 50 rounds of testing indicated it will be capable of encrypting more than 4,000 pieces of data every second, China Daily reported.

It will be used by 200 users across Jinan's government, finance and military departments, state media said. Experts from the Institute of Quantum Technology located in Jinan revealed the revolutionary network would be rolled out by August later this year.

Unlike the encryption of today, quantum-based networks send messages inserted into particles of light.

The "unhackable" claim comes from the fact that if anyone attempts to break into the network the particles will change and the message will be destroyed.

"We plan to use the network for national defence, finance and other fields, and hope to spread it out as a pilot that if successful, can be used across China and the whole world," said Zhou Fei, assistant director of Jinan Institute of Quantum Technology, as noted by the Financial Times.

It's not the first time China has invested in quantum tech. Last year it launched a "hack-proof" communications satellite, which was put on a two-year mission to help develop stronger communications at speeds "faster than light".

Many other nations have been reluctant to invest in such systems at scale, but why?

"For a long time people simply didn't think it was needed," Professor Myungshik Kim of Imperial College, London, told the BBC. "The mathematical difficulty of the current coding system was so high that it was not thought necessary to implement the new technology."

Now, it appears that China is leading the charge. "While nothing can truly be deemed as 'unhackable', new and radical approaches are very much needed to help secure technology and communications," said Javvad Malik, an expert at security firm AlienVault.

He added: "Having applications utilising technologies that make them more difficult to hack, or can detect quickly and reliably when a compromise has occurred is always a welcome addition and one would hope to see such improvements in all new technologies and national infrastructure."

Andrew Clarke, director at security firm One Identity, said that the promise of quantum technology continued to be a "bright spot on the horizon".

He elaborated: "The latest experiments in China have adopted satellite systems and increased wavelengths to establish quantum cryptography links during the day.

"The concept behind the technology is that if there is any interference in the communication such as an attacker trying to steal an encryption key then the quantum mechanics theory indicates that the key would immediately change to prevent that from being successful.

"At this stage, the experiments involve point-to-point encrypted communication, but when extended could provide a new approach to wider communications between multiple trusted parties.

"It will require much more research; experimentation and investment to extend to wider use; boost transmission rates and distance. This is certainly a step in the right direction to address global security concerns concerning public internet use."

Read more

Original post:
China set to launch 'unhackable' messaging network using quantum cryptography - International Business Times UK

Alice and Bob are the hypothetical communicants in every cryptographic example or explainer, two people trying to talk with one another without being thwarted or overheard by Eve, Mallory and their legion of nefarious friends.

Alice and Bob's first known appearance was in Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman's 1978 Communications in the ACM paper, A Method for Obtaining Digital Signatures and Public-key Cryptosystems." Since then, they have enjoyed many adventures.

The potted history of Alice and Bob at Cryptocouple is a delightful way to explore the history of crypto and the way we think about secrecy and privacy.

Alice and Bob are the worlds most famous cryptographic couple. Since their invention in 1978, they have at once been called inseparable, and have been the subject of numerous divorces, travels, and torments. In the ensuing years, other characters have joined their cryptographic family. Theres Eve, the passive and submissive eavesdropper, Mallory the malicious attacker, and Trent, trusted by all, just to name a few.

While Alice, Bob, and their extended family were originally used to explain how public key cryptography works, they have since become widely used across other science and engineering domains. Their influence continues to grow outside of academia as well: Alice and Bob are now a part of geek lore, and subject to narratives and visual depictions that combine pedagogy with in-jokes, often reflecting of the sexist and heteronormative environments in which they were born and continue to be used. More than just the worlds most famous cryptographic couple, Alice and Bob have become an archetype of digital exchange, and a lens through which to view broader digital culture.

Alice & Bob A History of The Worlds Most Famous Cryptographic Couple [Cryptocouple]

This week on HOME: Stories From L.A.:The original Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in the hills above Glendale, may be best known outside California for inspiring the sledgehammer satire of the 1965 cult comedyThe Loved One. For tourists and curiosity-seekers, its the gonzo lifes work of Hubert Eaton, who memorialized himself as The Builder in the []

The Awakening by Henry Mayer is considered one of the finest pieces of political art of the 20th-century and is often mentioned as the most beautiful of the suffrage maps. American women earned the vote from west to east before the right became federal law.

From Business Insider; mostly unappetizing. Pictured here is the 17th century watermelon, as cropped from Giovanni Stanchis c. 1650s painting. They look rough, but would have tasted great. The watermelon originally came from Africa, but after domestication it thrived in hot climates in the Middle East and southern Europe. It probably became common in European []

Whether youre a seasoned entertainment industry veteran or a student working on your first spec script, having the right tool for the job will make a huge difference in your focus and productivity.Final Draft 10 is far and away the worlds best screenwriting software, used extensively by professional film and TV writers at top production []

Web content creators who dont have a solid SEO strategy should take note of Webtexttool. Its a service that pulls in anonymous data from their entire user base to offer crowdsourced guidance that increases your search page ranks. By analyzing prior user successes, it helps you better gauge how your posts will perform at a []

Just because English has become the common global tongue doesnt mean its the easiest language to writeeven for native speakers. If youre looking to improve your written communication skills, especially on your smartphone, take a look at Ginger Page.Ginger is a cross-platform app that offers corrections for phrasing as well as grammar. Its powered by []

Read more here:
A brief history of Alice & Bob, cryptography's first couple - Boing Boing