Key technology for secure quantum networks
In an increasingly networked world, the security and reliability of IT infrastructure is of central importance. Cyberattacks, espionage and IT sabotage threaten our critical systems and the stability of free societies on a daily basis. This is precisely where the Quantum Repeater.Net (QR.N) research project comes in: The aim is to lay the foundations for a new era of highly secure communication networks based on quantum physics principles.
Funded by the BMBF
Projektpage of Quantenrepeater.Net
Duration: January 2025 - December 2027
The idea behind quantum repeaters has a long history of research. Projects to develop this key technology have been funded in Germany since 2010. Most recently, the Quantum Repeater.Link (QR.X) project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), laid the foundations for the development of quantum repeaters between 2021 and 2024. QR.N builds on these results and takes the work to a new level by testing and further developing quantum repeater technologies in real-world environments.
Quantum networks offer unprecedented security due to their physical foundations. Quantum repeaters are a central component of such networks. They enable the reliable transmission of quantum physical states over long distances. In this way, they make a decisive contribution to the development of a secure, quantum-based IT infrastructure - with potential for networking future quantum computers.
The realization of quantum repeaters and end-to-end quantum networks represents a considerable technical challenge. These include:
- Generation and storage of quantum states: These must be transmitted with maximum precision and minimal losses.
- Establishment of network nodes: Intermediate nodes with quantum memories enable error-corrected transmission and high-performance protocols.
- Hardware development: Different platforms such as atoms, ions or semiconductor structures are tested and combined in hybrid form to create cross-platform solutions.
The QR.N project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, brings together 42 partners from research and industry who are working together to demonstrate quantum repeaters outside of laboratory environments on real test tracks. Building on the results of the predecessor project QR.X, the aim is to develop a comprehensive concept for quantum-secured communication. The long-term vision of QR.N is to develop a quantum information technology for public communication systems that raises IT security to a completely new level. Quantum repeaters will not only enable secure data transmission, but also pave the way for the networking of quantum computers - a decisive step in digital evolution. HHI's part in the project focuses on entanglement-based telecom networks.