AI Insight
Researchers have established a free-space optical link that connects Brookhaven National Laboratory, Stony Brook University, and Yale University, creating a wireless component for quantum communication. The system uses a "Quantum Lighthouse" - a transmitter/receiver positioned on a seven-story building at Brookhaven Lab that sends and receives photons carrying quantum information through the air rather than through fiber optic cables. This development extends what is described as the nation's longest quantum network by adding wireless optical transmission capabilities.
Why it matters
This advancement demonstrates that quantum information can be transmitted wirelessly over significant distances, which could enable more flexible quantum network architectures that don't rely solely on fiber optic infrastructure. Free-space optical quantum links could eventually connect quantum computers and sensors across regions where laying fiber cables is impractical or impossible.
Understand the Science
There’s a new lighthouse on Long Island. But instead of shining light to guide ships through waterways, this one transmits and receives particles of light that carry quantum information. Perched atop a seven-story building at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, the “Quantum Lighthouse” is a key pillar of the free-space optical (FSO) link spanning Brookhaven Lab, the State University of New York at Stony Brook (Stony Brook University) and Yale University.
Source: New free-space optical link adds a wireless component to the nation's longest quantum network