In an industry first, NYU and Qunnect sent quantum information through standard telecom fiber in New York City, using Qunnect’s quantum-secure networking technology
New York University and Qunnect today announced the successful test of a 10-mile (16-km) quantum networking link between the Brooklyn Navy Yard and NYU’s campus in Manhattan. This technical milestone signifies a breakthrough that advances the next generation of networking protocols for quantum communication and opens the door for financial services, critical infrastructure, and telecom companies in the New York metropolitan area to pilot quantum networking technologies.
“This foundational achievement will pave the way for future expansion of an underground, high-capacity fiber optic network connecting NYU with New York City’s other institutions, including financial and banking centers and technology companies, through quantum communication and computing,” says Stacie Grossman Bloom, NYU’s vice provost for research and chief research officer.
During this test, Qunnect, a leader in quantum-secure networking technology, and NYU’s Center for Quantum Information Physics (CQIP) transmitted highly entangled photonic quantum bits, more commonly referred to as “qubits,” at a rate of 15,000 pairs/second over fiber optic cable with 99% uptime. The fragile nature of entanglement requires rigorous monitoring and precision, and previous demonstrations had shown only short durations in which the quantum network was fully operational. The work was conducted on Qunnect’s GothamQ, a quantum network utilizing existing commercial fiber optic cable, with a node that connects to NYU’s Lower Manhattan campus.
During this experiment, photons traveled on Qunnect’s GothamQ network to the NYU campus at an unprecedented rate over fiber optic cable with 99% uptime. Previous demonstrations had shown only short durations in which the quantum network was fully operational. Maps Data: Google @2022.
“This test represents the next step in building a quantum network that engages clients in critical industries that need to future-proof their security,” says Noel Goddard, CEO of Qunnect. “In demonstrating sustained delivery of high-quality entangled qubits over 10 miles of real fiber, we have validated GothamQ as the country’s first commercial metropolitan network supporting entanglement distribution networking protocols with hardware that is ready to be deployed today.”
“With the purity produced by our entanglement sources and the automation of our controlling and monitoring systems, the roadmap for scaling from two nodes towards a full metropolitan network in cities around the world has become much clearer,” adds Mehdi Namazi, chief science officer of Qunnect.
Using standard telecom fiber, shown here, Qunnect and NYU successfully transmitted quantum information from Brooklyn to Manhattan. Photo credit: David Song/New York University.
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