Small is getting big [quantum networks]
H. Vella · Engineering & Technology · 2018
With classic electronics and computing reaching its physical limits, much excitement surrounds quantum technologies as the fuel for future progress. But how close are we to developing a quantum network?A quantum network will distribute information encoded into quantum states and systems. This information is held at the sub-atomic level in a physical property of something - a photon or electron - and transmitted. Whatever the entity might be, it is its quantum-mechanical properties that are being used rather than the classical properties, as happens now. Unlike in classical networks, connecting quantum devices means they become more powerful. For example, a quantum chain of computers, in theory, would have exponentially more power than one working alone.