QUANTUM NETWORKING/QKD – A PHOTONIC CHALLENGE
Governments, academia and industry are all investing heavily in developing quantum
networking for ultra secure communications in response to the threat to classic encryption
techniques from the application of artificial intelligence.
One key technique is that of quantum key distribution which works on the principle of sending quantum entangled photons over an impairment-free optical link. As quantum states cannot be measured without altering them, any attempt to eavesdrop on the transmission will result in a change to the expected state of entanglement and alert the participants to the fact that the link is not secure. Once the link is known to be secure, information can be sent over the link. Rapid replenishment of the quantum keys across the link enables the security of the link to be continually verified and maintained.
Collaborative research projects to investigate the fundamental capability of existing COTS optical equipment to meet the needs of this application have progressed to the creation of the first commercial quantum-secured networks by network operators and others.
While classical computing networks typically use opto-electrical switches which regenerate the signals at the point of switching, such secure networks need a photonic switching solution which preserves the original signal and provides impairment-free connections, critical when managing entangled photonic distribution.
POLATIS switches already lend themselves well to implementing multi-stage, low-loss optical switching fabrics to support optically disaggregated "classical" hyperscale computing infrastructures. For many of the same reasons this proposition may be extended in the future to networking large clusters of QPUs when the Qubits, the basic unit of quantum information, are realized by photonics.
One key technique is that of quantum key distribution which works on the principle of sending quantum entangled photons over an impairment-free optical link. As quantum states cannot be measured without altering them, any attempt to eavesdrop on the transmission will result in a change to the expected state of entanglement and alert the participants to the fact that the link is not secure. Once the link is known to be secure, information can be sent over the link. Rapid replenishment of the quantum keys across the link enables the security of the link to be continually verified and maintained.
Collaborative research projects to investigate the fundamental capability of existing COTS optical equipment to meet the needs of this application have progressed to the creation of the first commercial quantum-secured networks by network operators and others.
While classical computing networks typically use opto-electrical switches which regenerate the signals at the point of switching, such secure networks need a photonic switching solution which preserves the original signal and provides impairment-free connections, critical when managing entangled photonic distribution.
ULTRA LOW LOSS PHOTONIC CROSS CONNECTS
POLATIS® optical circuit switches from HUBER+SUHNER are uniquely positioned to provide photonic cross connects with exceptionally low insertion and return loss, coupled with minimal latency and very fast switching speeds. Photons pass through the free space optical switch unaltered in any way, enabling the transmission of entanglement states, thereby assuring that any detected change in state has been caused by attempted eavesdropping. Furthermore these software-controlled switches enable network operators to serve multiple nodes and provide path redundancy if required.POLATIS switches already lend themselves well to implementing multi-stage, low-loss optical switching fabrics to support optically disaggregated "classical" hyperscale computing infrastructures. For many of the same reasons this proposition may be extended in the future to networking large clusters of QPUs when the Qubits, the basic unit of quantum information, are realized by photonics.
THE POLATIS® ADVANTAGE – not all photonic cross connects are created equal
HUBER+SUHNER has taken the optical performance of the well established POLATIS Series 6000 Instrument Grade Ultra switch to a new level with the POLATIS 6000 Series Ultra Q, equipping it with ultra low-loss connectors and further refining the optics to reduce loss through the switch, as well as equalizing the latency across all possible connections.Superior Optical Performance
- Impairment free, all-optical switching preserves quantum states – no signal regeneration required.
- Ultra low loss to meet stringent optical budget, as any form of optical amplification on the link would negate the quantum states, and to enable transmission over longer distances.
- Low latency supports rapid repeated distribution of new quantum keys across the network.
- Best available return loss minimizes network impacts.
Powerful and User Friendly Control Interfaces
- SDN enabled with NETCONF and RESTCONF control interfaces for full integration with network orchestration systems.
- Command line interfaces such as TL1 and SCPI.
- Intuitive Web based GUI for local operation.
High reliability for mission critical secure communications
- A high reliability architecture with no single point of failure means that network operators can rely on POLATIS switches as part of a quantum-secure network.
Dark fiber switching
- Dark fiber switching enables a connection to be made and held without light on the fiber. By their nature quantum communications may be very low power, intermittent signals.