bigQ ensures accurate measurements of multiple objects at once by using a quantum network
Researchers from the Center of Excellence bigQ at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) used quantum networks to measure multiple objects at the same time. The results show that the quantum physical method provides more precise results than if the measurements were made one at a time. The study, which was recently published in the scientific journal Nature Physics, is the first of its kind and was done in collaboration with researchers from the Villum center QMATH at the University of Copenhagen.
The image shows the quantum network developed by the research team from DTU and the University of Copenhagen. Photo: DTU
In a collaboration between researchers from the Center of Excellence bigQ at the Technical University of Copenhagen Physics and researchers from the Villum-funded center QMATH at the University of Copenhagen, the team successfully developed a way to make accurate quantum measurements of multiple objects at the same time. The research team used a technique they call ‘distributed sensing,’ using quantum networks to make the measurements. More specifically, the research team used quantum networks to measure the delay in the spreading of light. The delay – also called light phase shifts – was spread across four different glass plates that were placed in four different spots in their laboratory. The experiment is the first of its kind, and the results show that the usage of quantum networks provides more accurate measurements to determine the average measurement result than if the measurements were made one at a time.
“Four nodes distributed on an optical table in a laboratory may not sound like much, but the technology can easily be transferred to a fiber-optic network, and then the nodes can suddenly be very far apart,” said Professor Ulrik Lund Andersen, head of center at bigQ and senior author behind the study.
The experiment illustrates the great potential for quantum networks, which the researchers expect to be used for the synchronization of spatially distributed nodes, atomic clocks, or the measurements of molecular movements in the body’s cells.