Science Magazine has announced advancements in one of the most unique ideas of encryption today: Quantum Money.
The study was conducted by a team of researchers from the Castra Blossel Institute at La Sorbonne University in Paris, France, and was released on September 19th.
That group of scientists experimentally demonstrated that it is possible Integrate quantum optical memory into encryption protocols This follows the quantum finance scheme originally proposed by Stephen Wiessner in the 1980s.
In other words, it was verified Possibility to create quantum tokenssave them, recover them, and verify their credibility as intermediate memory.
Quantum tokens are digital representations They contain information encoded in quantum stateslike polarized light of photons.
Its main feature is Cannot be cloned The “non-adjusted theorem” in quantum mechanics makes it ideal for authentication and security applications.
And where does the concept of “Quantum Money” go?
Quantum can be understood Special forms of these quantum tokens.
What the experiment shows is that these tokens can be generated and stored temporarily in quantum memory. It was then accurately verifiedwithout losing its quantum properties.
This represents an important step towards the actual implementation of quantum gold, allowing these “tickets” (tokens) quantums to be transportable and verifiable. Maintains its uniqueness and resistance to tampering.
Quantum Money seems to have special ink on the physical tickets, and they are trying to copy them, break down the colors, change the colors, or try to change the colors. Revealing tampering.
In the quantum version, the ink is represented by particles such as photons. It cannot be cloned or measured without changing its state. In reality, this makes it impossible to generate the same copy, making this type of token unique.
The role of quantum memory was key to demonstrating that a complete process could be performed With verifiable security standards.
From theory to experiment
The experimental task relied on three basic steps.
First, very weak pulses of light were used. Something like a small faint flash consisting of a few photons that were used with that polarized light (the direction in which the light waves vibrate) was used. Codify quantum information.
Its polarization acts as a microscopic lock: when you try to copy them, it defines such delicate states. They will inevitably change.
Changes allow intruders to be detected. If an attacker attempts to measure or clone a photon in polarization, the state is blocked and the change is Ensures the integrity of detectable communicationsthe pillar of safe quantum computing.
In the second phase, these states were stored in what the research describes as “optical quantum memory.” Imagine something safe and safe made of neutral atoms, laser cooling Until it hardly moves.
Because it’s cold, the atoms behave like leaves of a gentle pond, ready to record minimal movement They represent quantum information (the state of light carrying the coded data).
According to reports, interference ruins the message, but the technology Almost 100% efficiency It produced a “very low noise level”.
Finally, the saved condition was collected and verified under “stricken security measures.”
According to the author, that quantum memory will play its role without exacerbating the message. Differences to the previous essay.
In previous studies, storage stages were minimal or none. Meanwhile, this time it acted as a tangible link for the chain. I could only imagine it in theory.
The following image illustrates a scheme that illustrates how optical and electronic technologies are integrated to implement advanced quantum protocols such as those available for use with Quantum Money and Safe authentication.
Progress with a broader meaning
According to the professional environment, what is related is that quantum memory has stopped theoretical abstraction Become a viable tool.
Many proposals for quantum funding began with the assumption that states could store indefinitely or under ideal conditions.
French experiments show that memories have reached levels of efficiency and stability. Enable actual use.
The complete chain (create, storage, recovery, validation) is another highlighted point. By demonstrating what sequences to a controlled environment create Before it became just a theory With possible components of practical systems.
In addition to quantum funding, optical memory opens the door to other applications. Repeaters for long distance quantum communication, accurate network synchronization, or distributed processing.
What’s missing before
While that is an important step, this study also recognizes limitations.
The experiment was conducted in the state Relatively simple and under controlled conditions.
For wider applications, efficiency, storage time, and robustness to disturbances must be climbed.
The report shows that quantum devices do not have noise or loss, even with good results. These margins can allow validation or vulnerability errors in an uncontrolled environment.
This adds the need for sophisticated infrastructure. Photon source, accurate optics, advanced detectors, stable quantum memory, Technologies that are not yet available are expanded or expanded at a low cost.
Finally, validation poses additional challenges. Wiesner’s original scheme relied on central authorities with the ability to verify tokens.
Bitcoin and other quantum financial systems need to be designed more open and decentralized. A verification method that can be accessed by multiple actorswithout relying on a single publisher.
The presented experiments also have the limitation that they are supported by a centralized token validation model.
