Paul G. Kwiat is the Bardeen Chair in Physics, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and was the inaugural Director of the Illinois Quantum Information Science & Technology Center (IQUIST). A Fellow of the American Physical Society and the Optical Society of America, and recipient of the OSA 2009 R. W. Wood Prize, he has given invited talks at numerous national and international conferences, and has authored over 160 articles on various topics in quantum optics and quantum information, including several review articles. His research includes optical realizations of various quantum information protocols, particularly using entangled—and hyperentangled—photons to implement advanced quantum communication and sensing. He also leads the Space Entanglement and QUantum Annealing Experiment (SEAQUE), a project currently flying on the ISS.
Presentation Title:
The Peril and Promise of Wireless Quantum Links
Presentation Abstract:
Though the vast majority of quantum communication and networking demonstrations to date have focused on ‘wired’ links through optical fibers, there are substantial limitations to such a network, in large part due to loss and latency in the channel. Just as our modern telecommunications rely on both wireless and wired connections, a final quantum internet will likely need both fiber and free-space links. The latter can enable orders-of-magnitude higher rates and reconfigurable nodes, but come with substantial implementation challenges. Here we’ll highlight some recent developments and likely next steps.