Insider Brief:
- SDT and a team from Pusan National University are developing a compact, rack-mountable quantum entangled photon pair light source technology for commercialization, focusing on applications in quantum communication, cryptography, and information processing.
- The technology, transferred to SDT in early 2024, offers a photon spectral width 1/1000th narrower and more stable than nonlinear crystal-based sources, with potential uses in quantum LiDAR, microscopy, long-distance quantum communication, and integration with existing optical systems.
- The team will verify equipment performance through advanced testing methods, with a goal to commercialize the world’s first atomic-based quantum light source and conduct fiber network experiments to establish long-distance quantum networks and maximize commercial opportunities.
- Editor’s Note: This has been translated from Korean to English using ChatGPT.
PRESS RELEASE — SDT Co., Ltd. and the research team led by Professor Han-Seop Moon from Pusan National University are working on a project titled “Development of a Server Rack-Type Quantum Entangled Photon Pair Light Source Equipment and Applications” as part of the Quantum Information Communication and Supporting Technologies Commercialization initiative funded by the National Information Society Agency (NIA).
The quantum entangled photon pair light source technology is a core technology applicable to quantum communication, quantum cryptography, and quantum information processing. When photons can interact with atoms, there is significant potential for application as a quantum information network node that includes quantum memory.
Professor Han-Seop Moon’s research team at Pusan National University transferred the technology for “Quantum Entangled Photon Pair Light Source Using a Chip-Scale Atomic Ensemble and Its Implementation Method” to SDT in January 2024. SDT plans to miniaturize the entangled photon source technology, which has been implemented at a laboratory scale, into a size that can fit the industry-standard 19-inch rack. The company aims to commercialize the technology by turning it into a product.
This technology features a photon spectral width that is 1/1000th narrower and more stable compared to light sources based on nonlinear crystals. It has potential applications in various industries, including quantum LiDAR, quantum microscopy, and long-distance quantum communication in telecommunications wavelength bands. It is also expected to integrate seamlessly with existing optical communication equipment.
SDT and Pusan National University completed the development this year, focusing on miniaturization and technical improvements. In the second year, they plan to verify the performance of the developed equipment by analyzing the quality of the quantum light source through FPGA-based four-wave mixing and automated Hong-Ou-Mandel interference measurements. Subsequently, they aim to commercialize the world’s first atomic-based quantum light source equipment.
The results of this project are anticipated to significantly contribute to laying the foundation for the commercialization of quantum communication and the quantum internet. Future plans include experiments to verify the transmission efficiency and stability of quantum entangled photon pairs over an optical fiber network up to 100 km in length. Through these efforts, the project aims to establish a basis for long-distance quantum networks and maximize the potential for commercial utilization.
