Proving security
The first applications of quantum information in everyday life are likely to be in the realm of cryptography (the science of codes). Being able to send information from one person to another with security that is guaranteed by the laws of physics is very attractive, especially since a quantum computer (if one could be built) would make essentially all the currently used codes vulnerable. But in order to make this dream a reality, the efficiency of the process must be improved and communication protocols must be devised which are provably secure against all conceivable eavesdropping strategies; this project aims to develop such rigorously secure protocols.
For further information please contact Artur Ekert (Cambridge) at mailto:artur.ekert@qubit.org
Experimental apparatus demonstrating quantum cryptography in the laboratory. The coded information is carried by the photons (light particles) in the laser beams shown.