New Quantum Cryptography Speed Record

Roland Piquepaille writes "Physicists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have established a world's speed record for 'unbreakable' encryption with their cryptographic system based on the transmission of single photons. With this kind of method, messages cannot be intercepted without detection, meaning transmission is always safe. The NIST 'quantum key distribution' (QKD) system was used between two buildings located 730 meters apart for transmitting a stream of photons at a rate of 1 million bits per second. While it might not look very fast, its 100 times faster than with previous quantum distribution systems. This overview contains more details and references about information theory."

Comments

Nothing that haven't been done before

[lofoforabr]

It's just like morse code, just waaaaaaaaaaaay faster!

(it's a joke)

Re:Nothing that haven't been done before

[__aagctu1952]

It's just like morse code, just waaaaaaaaaaaay faster!

Nah, it's like morse code, only if you look at what you receive the probability wave collapses and the cat dies. This means quantum cryptography uses up a heck of a lot of cats, and this is why there's a limit on its practical usability and speed in the real world...

*cough*

A little star trek humor

[Nuclear Elephant]

[Kirk] Fire photon torpedoes
[Scotty] I can't sir, the bloody computer's still encrypting a message to my girlfriend - I got no power!
[Romulans] b4w h4w h4w w3 0wnz j00!
[Kirk] W3 b3 0wn3d!

**YAWN**

[l0ungeb0y]

Wake me up when they get it going faster than the speed of light. Now, that would be a speed record worthy of a slashdotting.

Re:**YAWN**

[missing000]

Speed of time? Excuse me, but can I get some of what you're smoking? How would you define a concept like that?

Speed is defined in physics as "Distance traveled divided by the time of travel", so that would make time a derivative of it's self?

Encryption error!

[Phidoux]

Error -3647194 - An error occurred during the encryption of your file - Pigeon

Obligatory Futurama quote!

[Daath]

Farnsworth: "No fair! You changed the outcome by measuring it!"

heheh :)

World Record?

[Anonymous Coward]

And the message?

fckil eht ghtlis fi uyo gte thsi !

Hang on...

[m00nun1t]

I don't understand all this stuff about quantam cryptography. Let's get to the core of the issue:

Can it help me download pr0n faster or not?

Re:QC and evesdropping

[OblongPlatypus]

But if you sent "attack at dawn", then realized an enemy had been eavesdropping, wouldn't you just attack at dusk instead?

Then again, the enemy would know that you knew he was eavesdropping, so he might anticipate that...

Somehow, this reminds me of Vizzini.

Re:Always? The Copenhagen interpretation...

[turnstyle]

"Indeed, but if it were possible to eavesdrop without detection, implications for physics would be just as great as for cryptology."

Perhaps when somebody eavesdrops, a cat is killed?

Or does the universe split in two, one in which the eavesdrop has occured, and one in which it has not?