Quantum Communication - UPSC Current affairs

Syllabus Tag: UPSC GS Paper 3: Science & Technology — Developments and their applications; IT & Computers.

What is Quantum Communication

• It is an umbrella term for schemes using quantum physics, especially entanglement, for leak-proof communication.
• Photon Encoding: Encodes data in photon states, unlike classical bits.
• Entanglement: Uses paired photons with linked states for secure Channels.
• Uses Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) for unbreakable encryption keys.

Quantum Key Distribution

• Quantum cryptographic method for secure exchange by leveraging quantum mechanics, making it immune to attacks by quantum computers.
• It doesn't send actual data; instead, it uses random quantum states to create and share the secret key between two parties.

Quantum Teleportation:

•  It is the transfer of the state of a quantum particle from one location to another using entanglement. This is the foundation for a future "Quantum Internet" that could connect quantum computers.

Applications Of Quantum Communication

• Finance and Banking: Banks use QKD to protect highly sensitive client data, secure financial transactions, and safeguard critical business infrastructure from cyber-attacks. For example, it has been deployed to secure backbone links for financial institutions.
• Government and Defense: Government agencies and militaries utilize QKD to transmit classified information securely. It ensures the long-term confidentiality of sensitive data against "harvest now, decrypt later" attacks, where encrypted data is stored today to be decrypted by powerful quantum computers in the future. It has also been used to secure election processes.
• Healthcare: The technology is being explored to protect patient confidentiality and secure the exchange of sensitive medical records between healthcare providers.
• Critical Infrastructure: QKD can be used to secure communication within power grids and other utility networks, protecting them from cyber threats that could lead to outages.