Infrastructural activities of QUTE.sk
Building a quantum communication infrastructure as part of the European initiative euroQCI and developing a single-photon detector for the needs of such a communication infrastructure.
The main objectives of the Slovak National Center for Quantum Technologies is to develop an entanglement-based quantum layer communication infrastructure to create the backbone of the national quantum network.
The network will facilitate an enhanced security of communication, but also allow transfer of quantum information – thus being able to serve as experimental quantum infrastructure.
Before the pan-European initiative euroQCI, the informal scientific and research initiative QUAPITAL (quapital.eu) was created, the goal of which is to build a quantum communication infrastructure in the area of Central and Eastern Europe and ultimately to connect the capital cities with quantum lines. A joint school focused on this issue was organized in Bratislava, and in October 2020 the first line between Vienna and Bratislava was put into operation (funded by the Austrian partner). We are in intensive communication with colleagues from Hungary and the Czech Republic, and testing of the new connection will take place in the foreseeable future (technical components will be provided by colleagues from abroad upon agreement).
So far, both international and local QKD link have been deployed demonstrating the use of different technologies:
- First, a long-distance link (248 km), between Bratislava (IPSAS- Institute of Physics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences), Vienna and St. Pölten has been demonstrated using entanglement.
- The second link, short-distance one (~5 km) within Bratislava is connecting two academic facilities, IPSAS and the ILC (International Laser Centre) has been equipped with a commercial IDQ system for testing (OpenQKD project) and is currently being replaced by our entanglement-based prototype.
Projects overview
skQCI
Slovak Quantum Communication Infrastructure
The goal of the Slovak Quantum Communication Infrastructure project is to use the same hardware and technology for the implementation of various entanglement-based QKD protocols in order to populate, in this first phase, 6-12 nodes across Slovakia, thus creating the backbone of a national quantum network.
Project skQCI is part of the EuroQCI – a secure quantum communication infrastructure spanning the whole EU.
- Project Duration:
from 01/01/2023
