ESA wants quantum-experiments with ISS run

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Researchers from the European Space Agency, the European counterpart of NASA, like the International Space Station use as a test platform for quantum experiments in space.

When the ISS is used as part of a quantumnetwerk, if that network is the largest distance so far to bridge. The platform makes its rounds in approximately four hundred kilometers up, while some 250 km the maximum distance over which entangled photons have been teleported. Two Austrian researchers from the Institut für Quantenoptik und Quanteninformation and a member of the ESA want to the feasibility of a quantumnetwerk with satellites testing by a signal to the ISS. Moreover, would the influence of gravity on quantumnetwerken can be tested.

The signal to the ISS to be sent would be from a half of an entangled fotonpaar must exist. A special detector for single photons, would the ISS have to be transported to the entangled photons. So would can be checked whether the two entangled photons to each other at that distance influence. Also would the exchange of quantumcryptografische keys, for secure communications networks, can be tested. The detector would be able to make use of existing ISS infrastructure, such as a lens and a motorized camera mount that the lens can focus. Per passage of the ISS over a ground station would be a period of 70 seconds, are available for quantumexperimenten.

Ultimately, the experiments can be extended and also transmitting equipment on board of satellites can involve. Then it would also be a communications network from satellite to satellite as possible. The experiments would be information about the speed of quantumteleportatie can offer and announce a decision on the feasibility of a global quantumnetwerk.