Photon teleported to satellite by team in China

Researchers in China have teleported a photon from the ground to a satellite orbiting more than 310 miles above, Emerging Technology reports in MIT Technology Review.

The satellite, named Micius after the Zhou Dynasty (11th Century-221 BC) philosopher, was launched into orbit last year on a Long March 2D rocket from the Gobi Desert.

The Micius team announced on Monday it had successfully used a quantum network to teleport the first subatomic particle from the ground into orbit.

Quantum teleportation occurs when the complete properties of one object are instantly transferred to another at a removed location, in effect sharing the same existence.

“This second photon takes on the identity of the first,” the paper explains. “To all intents and purposes, it becomes the first photon.”

Albert Einstein called the theoretical process — quantum entanglement — “spooky action at a distance”.

The technique has been proved in quantum physics labs since the 1990s, but this is the first time it has been carried out at such a vast distance. It shatters existing records.

“Previous teleportation experiments between distant locations were limited to a distance on the order of 100 kilometers, due to photon loss in optical fibers or terrestrial freespace channels,” the team said.

Oxford University physicist Iam Walmsley told the BBC the achievement was a building block towards a number of potential applications.

“Everything from secure long-distance communications through perhaps eventually using it as part of a cloudbased computing network that allows you to send information from one party to another in a way that’s secure and can’t be tapped into without you knowing about it,” Walmsley said.

“It’s certainly a scientific breakthrough,” he said.

“This work establishes the first ground-to-satellite up-link for faithful and ultra-long-distance quantum teleportation, an essential step toward globalscale quantum internet,” the Micius team said.

MIT called the work impressive and said it set the stage for much more ambitious goals.