Quantum Cryptography and Secure Data Communication

I strongly believe that a far more secure internet is necessary. Currently, the financial world is already active in migrating to dedicated fibres due to security risk (SWIFT network). What we very definitely need in future is (almost) unbreakable security and total privacy. I believe what we need to seriously invest into and develop is the applied part of quantum information theory[1] and cryptography alongwith the related disciplines of steganography, traffic security and cryptosystems as applied towards discreet communication. In quantum computing, the laws of physics protect the information using the properties of quantum me- chanics. Open-air quantum key distribution with single photon source (SPS) has been demonstrated in experimental conditions[2][3][4].

In the area of Quantum Cryptography, in particular, it has been shown that there are intrinsic properties in Quantum Mechanics that will enable a Quantum Computer to produce results not possible with a classical computer[5][6][7]. In fututre we need to investigate the concept of development of Internet technologies based on the quantum principles[8] of cryptography, secret sharing and teleportation. In particular, the possibility of quantum optics giving birth to a new generation of communication protocols over internet has to be seriously looked into and researched. When we do this we shall also need to address the complications arising from the atomic level structure of a quantum computing system.

[ material from above submitted to 9th Biennial IQSA Meeting on Quantum Structures.]

With thanks to Prof. David Wineland (NIST) and Dr. Barbara Terhal (IBM)

References:

[1] Shor, P. (2000), Quantum Information Theory: Results and Open Problems. Geom. Funct. Anal. (GAFA), Special Volume GAFA 2000, 816838.
[2] Allaume, R., Treussart, F., Messin, G., Dumeige, Y., Roch, J-F., Beveratos, A., Brouri-Tualle, R., Poizat, J-P., and Grangier, P. (2004), Experimental open-air quantum key distribution with a single-photon source. New Journal of Physics 6, 92.
[3] O'Brien, J. L. (2007), Optical Quantum Computing. Science 7 December, 318, no. 5856, 1567 - 1570.
[4] Kok, P., Munro, W. J., Nemoto, K., Ralph, T. C., Dowling, J. P. and Milburn, G. J. (2007), Linear optical quantum computing with photonic qubits. Reviews of Modern Physics, January 2007, 79, Issue 1, 135-174.
[5] Bennett, C. H., Brassard, G. and Ekert, A. K. (1992), Quantum cryptography. Scientific American, October 1992, 50-57.
[6] Shor, P.W. (1994), Algorithms for quantum computation: discrete logarithms and factoring. Proceedings 35th Annual Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science, 124-134.
[7] Bennett, C. H., Bessette, F., Brassard, G., Salvail, L. and Smolin, J. (1992), Experimental Quantum Cryptography. Journal of Cryptology, 5, no.1, 3-28.
[8] Slusher D. (2006), Lecture at ARDA. http://www.cleoconference.org/materials/slusher.pdf.
[9] Barrett, M. D., Chiaverini, J., Schaetz, T., Britton, J., Itano, W. M., Jost, J. D., Knill, E., Langer, C., Leibfried, D., Ozeri, R. and Wineland, D. J. (2004), Deterministic quantum teleportation of atomic qubits. Nature, 17 June, 429,737-739.
[10] Hanson, R., Kouwenhoven, L. P., Petta, J. R., Tarucha, S. and Vandersypen, L. M. K. (2007), Spins in few-electron quantum dots. Reviews of Modern Physics, October 2007 { 79, Issue 4, 1217-1265.
[11] Vazirani, U. (1994), Quotation from a newspaper article by Tom Siegfried, Science Editor of the Dallas Morning News.