Quantum physics , the scientific discipline of the very smallest structures in the universe , is an alien and “ spooky ” world . Yet it governs so much of the technology we habituate in our everyday spirit , from headphone and computers to fluorescent light bulbs andtoasters . One   area where quantum technology may   one day revolutionize our world is in communications .

Providing “ instant transfer of training of information ” and incredibly secure connections , quantum communicationhas pull scientific enquiry for years . Now a   new study by a team of Chinese scientist have taken us a tone closer to   realizing this quantum dreaming .

Published inNature , the research worker explicate how they deal to entangle two cloud of quantum memories over distances of 22 kilometre ( 13.7 geographical mile ) and 50 kilometers ( 31.1 mi ) , hide the previous criminal record of 1.3 klick ( 0.8 air mile ) . Having achieved “ metropolis - sized ” distances of web , the research worker believe the possibleness of ramp up a epitome quantum connection is slowly becoming closer to realness .

Quantum memory , which in some ways are like our current computer memory board , contain quantum info ( qubits ) , which in this case are stash away on 100   million very cold Rubidium atom in a vacuum chamber . However , unlike our current figurer storage , qubits can survive in many United States Department of State , known as superposition , which allow them to execute multiple calculations at the same time . If one set of quantum memory is entangled with another , the state of each computer storage is shared with the other .

To get to this point of web is incredibly complex . Even Einstein excellently described quantum entanglement as “ spooky action at a distance ” . When particles are bring in close enough together , they intervene with and influence one another . Once these particles are separated , a manipulation to one mote heralds an instant modification to the other .

In 2017 , entangled photon cope to be send a aloofness of 1,200 kilometers ( 745 mile ) between Earth and a satellite . However , manage to exert web of larger system over such space ( containing more information ) has prove more difficult .

Here enters the late study . Pan Jian - Wei , oftendubbedthe “ Father of Quantum ” in China , along with his colleagues , first entangled each arrangement of speck ( called nodes ) with a unmarried photon . castrate the frequency of the photons grant them to be sent along fiber - oculus cables , where they meet at   a central detail . Here , the two photons were made to interfere , and when an reflection called a Bell measurement was execute on them together , the two quantum memory board clouds became remotely entangled .

For the 22 - kilometer ( 13.7 - mile ) aloofness , the fibers were set up underground between two situation , whereas the 50 - kilometer ( 31.1 - mile ) accomplishment was through coiled cable in the lab .   There were several challenges for the researchers to overtake in both set - ups in edict to produce a reliable entanglement system .

“ The main technology rise lies in developing an efficient atom - photon entanglement source that is suitable for low - departure transmission in fibers , ” study Centennial State - author Dr Xiao - Hui Bao , from University of Science and Technology of China , toldABC Science .

To attain this , the team used cavity enhancement to bring forth shining ( i.e. effective ) atom - photon web , reducing the risk of disruption to the organization over the larger distances . The conversion of the photon relative frequency from the near - infrared to the telecommunications O band also have in mind that the photon would see low - loss transmission in the optic fibers .

“ Our experiment could be extended to nodes physically divide by similar space , which would thus form a functional section of the nuclear quantum web , ” the researchers write in the paper , “ paving the means towards establishing atomic entanglement over many nodes and over much longer aloofness . ”