Deploying an Inter-European Quantum Network
Year: 2023
Authors: Ribezzo D., Zahidy M., Vagniluca I., Biagi N., Francesconi S., Occhipinti T., Oxenlowe LK., Loncaric M., Cvitic I., Stipcevic M., Pusavec D., Kaltenbaek R., Ramsak A., Giorgetti G., Scazza F., Bassi A., De Natale P., Cataliotti FS., Inguscio M., Bacco D., Zavatta A.
Autors Affiliation: Ist Nazl Ott CNR INO, Consiglio Nazl Ric, Largo E Fermi 6, I-50125 Florence, Italy; Univ Napoli Federico II, Cso Umberto 140, I-80138 Naples, Italy; Tech Univ Denmark, Ctr Silicon Photon Opt Commun SPOC, Dept Photon Engn, Bldg 343,Orsteds Pl, DK-2800 Lyngby, Denmark; QTI Srl, Largo E Fermi 6, I-50125 Florence, Italy; Rudjer Boskovic Inst, Ctr Excellence Adv Mat & Sensing Devices, Bijenicka cesta 54, Zagreb 10000, Croatia; Univ Zagreb, Fac Transport & Traff Sci, Dept Informat & Commun Traff, Vukeliceva ul 4, Zagreb 10000, Croatia; Univ Ljubljana, Fac Math & Phys, Jadranska ul 19, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia; Austrian Acad Sci, IQOQI, Boltzmanngasse 3, A-1090 Vienna, Austria; Univ Trieste, Dept Phys, Via Alfonso Valerio 2, I-34127 Trieste, Italy; Univ Trieste, ICT Serv area, Via Alfonso Valerio 2, I-34127 Trieste, Italy; Univ Firenze, Dept Phys, Via G Sansone 1, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy; Univ Rome, Dept Engn, Campus Biomed,Via Alvaro Portillo 21, I-00128 Rome, Italy.
Abstract: Around 40 years have passed since the first pioneering works introduced the possibility of using quantum physics to enhance communications safety. Nowadays, quantum key distribution (QKD) exited the physics laboratories to become a mature technology, triggering the attention of States, military forces, banks, and private corporations. This work takes on the challenge of bringing QKD closer to a consumer technology: deployed optical fibers by telecommunication companies of different States have been used to realize a quantum network, the first-ever connecting three different countries. This work also emphasizes the necessity of networks where QKD can come up besides classical communications, whose coexistence currently represents the main limitation of this technology. This network connects Trieste to Rijeka and Ljubljana via a trusted node in Postojna. A key rate of over 3 kbps in the shortest link and a 7-hour-long measurement demonstrate the system’s stability and reliability. The network has been used to present the QKD at the G20 Digital Ministers’ Meeting in Trieste. The experimental results, together with the interest that one of the most important events of international politics has attracted, showcase the maturity of the QKD technology bundle, placing it in the spotlight for consumer applications in the near term.
Journal/Review: ADVANCED QUANTUM TECHNOLOGIES
Volume: 6 (2) Pages from: to:
More Information: This work was partially supported by the NATO Science for Peace and Security program (Grant No. G5485, project SEQUEL), the European Union – PON Ricerca e Innovazione 2014-2020 FESR (Grant no. ARS01_00734, project QUANCOM), the Center of Excellence SPOC – Silicon Photonics for Optical Communications (ref DNRF123), the Innovationsfonden (No. 9090-00031B, FIRE-Q) the EraNET Cofund Initiatives QuantERA within the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement No. 731473, project SQUARE), the Region Friuli Venezia Giulia (project Quantum FVG), the H2020 FET Project TEQ (Grant No. 766900), the Croatian Science Foundation HRZZ (grant No. IPS-2020-1-2616) and the Croatian Ministry of Science and Education MSE (grant No. KK.01.1.1.01.0001). A.R. acknowledges ARRS (grant J2-2514). R.K. and Z.P. acknowledge support by the Slovenian Research Agency (research projects N1-0180, J2-2514, J1-9145 and P1-0125). The authors acknowledge the 2021 G20 Presidency, the Italian Ministry of Economic Development (MiSE), the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) for facilitating the demonstration during the G20 and for the diplomatic support with the involved stakeholders. The authors acknowledge Tommaso Calarco for his valuable support, TIM S.p.A., Telecom Italia Sparkle S.p.A., Telekom Slovenije d.d., Stelkom and Odasiljaci i veze d.o.o. (OIV) for making possible all the experiments, providing optical (dark) fiber infrastructure and great technical support. The authors acknowledge LightNet, the optical-fiber infrastructure of the research and academic centers of the Region Friuli Venezia Giulia, in particular Prof. Antonio Lanza, for providing the local fiber connections and for the technical support.r Open access funding provided by Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche within the CRUI-CARE Agreement.KeyWords: European quantum communication infrastructure; fibre optic network; quantum communication; quantum communication field trial; quantum internet; quantum key distribution; quantum networkDOI: 10.1002/qute.202200061ImpactFactor: 4.400Citations: 21data from “WEB OF SCIENCE” (of Thomson Reuters) are update at: 2024-09-15References taken from IsiWeb of Knowledge: (subscribers only)
