The Internet is undoubtedly the prime innovation of mankind and the foundation was a defense project called ARPANET, which was fueled by the cold war and the need for sharing information among government researchers. Since then the internet has evolved as the mechanism for ubiquitous connectivity and information exchange for everyone. Evolving technologies such as AI/ML, time sensitive machine critical real time applications, ever increasing data demand etc. mandates the internet to be superlative performant with negligible latency. Towards this, the concept of a quantum internet is emerging as a revolutionary leap forward. 

The quantum internet harnesses the properties of quantum mechanics unlike the internet of today AKA classical internet that relies on bits to transmit data. The fascinating world of quantum internet promises unprecedented levels of security and speed thereby creating a new era of communication.

Let’s first understand the concepts that make quantum internet neoteric. Fundamental principles of quantum mechanics such as superposition and entanglement enable use of matter and energy at the smallest scales, where the classical laws of physics break down. Superposition allows qubits to exist in multiple states simultaneously, while entanglement ties the states of qubits in such a way that changes to one instantaneously affect the other, regardless of the distance separating them. 

Quantum computing applications are critical for the evolution and adoption of the quantum internet. These applications not only have to be real world, but also need to garner on user demand.  Key applications such as Teleportation, everlasting (unbreakable) security, Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), to name a few, are good use cases for quantum internet. Quantum guru has already written about these, please refer quantum cryptography and QKD, amongst other related articles. 

Quantum teleportation is a breathtaking concept of quantum computing. It involves transmission of the quantum state of a quantum system (a particle or photon) over some extended distance with near-instantaneous speed, typically for quantum communication. It is sort of a misnomer since the actual particle or photon is not physically or instantaneously transmitted. Teleportation will revolutionize quantum computing and quantum networking, where real-time data transfer is critical.

Classical encryption methods are prone to be broken by powerful quantum computers. The impact could be devastating because almost all of the industries use classical encryption methods to protect digitally data that are either stored or transmitted. Thus security is a key component of quantum systems and here QKD is pivotal.  Two (or more) qubits are said to be entangled if they have a combined, shared, common quantum state as if they were a single quantum system and individual qubits do not have an independent quantum state. Any attempt to measure the value of one qubit will be detected by other entangled ones. QKD uses the principles of entanglement to create encryption keys that are theoretically unbreakable.

The infrastructure needed for quantum communication is expensive and technologically challenging to both deploy and maintain. Qubits are extremely sensitive and could be easily perturbed by slightest entropy. This delicate nature is the biggest obstacle that the quantum research community is trying to address by advancing and realizing various quantum computing technologies.  Researchers are continually working to develop more robust qubits and to extend the distances over which quantum communication can occur. Quantum satellites, like China’s Micius, have already demonstrated the feasibility of transmitting entangled photons over vast distances, potentially connecting the world in a quantum web. Though the quantum internet is still in its infancy, facing several daunting challenges, the progress in quantum technologies is relentless.

Quantum internet is a paradigm shift in the world of communication that exploits peculiar properties of quantum mechanics. It aims for unbreakable security and ultra-fast data transfer, promising to transform industries and the way we connect with the world. The potential benefits of the quantum internet are too profound to ignore making it an exciting frontier of technological progress. While challenges remain, owing to unabated research and development in this field Quantum Guru anticipates a future where the quantum internet is an integral part of our connected world.