NASA’s SEAQUE (Space Entanglement and Annealing Quantum Experiment) instrument has arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on November 5 aboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft to demonstrate quantum entanglement.
Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon in which two subatomic particles (such as pairs of photons or electrons) are intimately connected to each other even when they are separated by vast distances. If you change the quantum state of one particle, then the result will immediately affect the other particle, regardless of the distance between them.
Quantum entanglement is a future technology that would provide secure deep-space communication, quantum teleportation, and more.
SEAQUE has an entanglement source to generate entangled photons as well as detectors to count the entangled photons and their quantum states.
The instrument will be installed on the exterior of the space station using a Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) mounting location.
If the experiment is successful, then it will enable quantum-level communication in space with the use of entanglement.
Eventually, this technology could enable quantum computers to communicate with each other no matter where they are located.
Additionally, SEAQUE will test technology to help photon detectors “self-heal” from radiation damage in space through laser annealing.
SEAQUE co-investigator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, Makan Mohageg, said in a statement:
“Demonstrating these two technologies builds the foundation for future global quantum networks that can connect quantum computers located hundreds or even thousands of miles apart.”
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