Researchers discovered a way to further enhance quantum systems to provide soldiers with more reliable and secure capabilities on the battlefield.

Specifically, this research informs how future quantum networks will be designed to deal with the effects of noise and decoherence, or the loss of information from a quantum system in the environment.

As one of the U.S. Army’s priority research areas in its Modernization Strategy, quantum research will help transform the service into a multi-domain force by 2035 and deliver on its enduring responsibility as part of the joint force providing for the defense of the United States.

«Quantum networking, and quantum information science as a whole, will potentially lead to unsurpassed capabilities in computation, communication and sensing,» said Dr. Brian Kirby, researcher at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory. «Example applications of Army interest include secure secret sharing, distributed network sensing and efficient decision making.»

This research effort considers how dispersion, a very common effect found in optical systems, impacts quantum states of three or more particles of light.

Dispersion is an effect where a pulse of light spreads out in time as it is transmitted through a medium, such as a fiber optic. This effect can destroy time correlations in communication systems, which can result in reduced data rates or the introduction of errors.

Story Source: Materials provided by U.S. Army Research Laboratory. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.