Quantum Information and Quantum Communication brings together concepts from information theory and quantum physics. These concepts allowed us to conceive the quantum computer with paradigm changing processing power, provided the ability to break modern encryption systems and to develop quantum communication systems with quantum random number generators (QRNG) and quantum key distribution (QKD).
This research direction has a long history in Geneva with the first real-world experiments performed in standard telecommunication fibres under Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) in 1995. Today, research groups at GQC continues to further increase communication distances using entanglement and quantum memories – systems capable of stopping light and storing the encoded information – as well as looking at free-space communication and even towards satellite-based schemes for global secure communication challenges.
These activities span different platforms of integrated photonics for photon sources, entanglement generation and frequency conversion, as well as rare-earth ion-doped crystals for quantum memories, and superconducting materials for photon detection. This covers fundamental challenges for multipartite network scenarios and teleportation as well as applied research to improve scaling and robustness of these quantum communication protocols and systems. We continue to develop prototype systems and test these in real-world communication networks. The theory groups part of the GQC explore novel ways to exploit quantum correlations and nonlocality for “Device-Independent” Quantum information processing as well as fundamentally new directions at the interplay between quantum information theory and quantum thermodynamics. As the system size and complexity continues to increase, experimental and theory groups at GQC closely work together to look for new and more efficient schemes for characterising and certifying quantum technologies and systems.
