Nokia and Bristol University working on bringing quantum cryptography to the smartphone

Nokia has joined forces with the University of Bristol in the UK to develop the first practical way of processing breakthrough cryptography on a mobile telephone. What does this mean with a mini jargon buster? It would essentially enable you to send encrypted messages or data in secrecy. Currently utilised past banks and other organisations who tin afford such expensive technology, the work carried out by Bristol Academy and Nokia could integrate elementary client electronics on a single chip - perfect for a mobile phone.

Quantum Primal Distribution (QKD) is a popular technique already being used commercially. The key is exchanged with knowledge that it volition not take been read past an eavesdropper, but considering the key is transmitted in terms of quantum bits (qubits), which if intercepted and read are altered, revealing that someone has rather naughty. Nokia and the university have worked hard to become all this functionality on a unmarried chip with cheap components.

The system developed by the teams at Nokia'south Enquiry Centre in Cambridge, UK uses a variant of QKD called reference frame contained QKD (rfiQKD), which was developed by Anthony Laing and several other team members. This will bring QKD one pace closer to the average consumer and smartphones.

Instead of measuring the backdrop of photon qubits relative to a fixed reference frame, rfiQKD allows for some alterations (or twists), fifty-fifty if the relative motion is unknown. The technique works by computing a specific combination of observables where the effect of the twisting angle cancels itself out. When it falls between a certain threshold, alerts get off detecting an eavesdropper.

"First, the server creates a very weak pulse of calorie-free that is sent to the client using an optical fibre. The client takes the weak pulse and passes information technology through an attenuator, which outputs a single photon. The client so sets the polarization of the photon and sends it dorsum to the server via the optical fibre. The server then measures the polarization of the photon. Then, the customer and server compare their measurements using a conventional link, which allows them to extract both the cryptography fundamental and the purity of the link."

Fear non if this is all going over your head. The technology will enable y'all to apply quantum cryptography to protect personal information, passwords and other details that are sent to and from mobile phones. The technology has been patented by Bristol'due south CQP (Centre for Breakthrough Photonics) and Nokia. It'll be interesting to see how this applied science develops and when we'll be seeing it implemented in smartphones. Caput on over to Physicsworld for more details.

Source: physicsworld; cheers, Nishy, for the tip!

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