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Researcher Shane Hearne of the Research Infrastructure and Testbeds Division provides us with a glimpse into his work at Walton Institute.
How long have you been working at Walton Institute
9 months
Previous experience
I conducted an internship at On Semiconductor, working on LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) for autonomous vehicles.
Outline your day to day
Every day is different, some days I will attend lectures and complete assignments while other days I could be reading research papers or using MATLAB to numerically model the propagation of quantum states through the atmosphere.
How and why did you get into your research field
In college, my final year project titled “An Investigation of Quantum Algorithms” gave me an introduction to quantum computing, information, and communication and from there I became very interested in all things quantum. The project was quite successful and landed me an internship at Walton Instititute, which soon turned into a research masters working on quantum satellite communication.
Briefly outline the research projects you’re currently working on
Currently I am working on a paper which will compare the wavelength dependence on the performance of an earth to satellite quantum key distribution (QKD) link operating under diverse atmospheric conditions. This research involves building a numerical model of the earth to satellite QKD link and determining how the wavelength effects performance in conditions such as turbulence, rain, and fog.
What areas do you see yourself working on in the future
I am interested in many different areas, especially emerging and disruptive technologies such as distributed ledgers, AI, extended reality, and quantum computing.
What have you learned/discovered during this particular project
This role has thought me how to properly build and run Monte Carlo simulations and extend those simulations to run on high performance computers to exploit the advantages of parallel computing.
The challenging and enjoyable aspects of being a researcher in your field
The challenge of researching quantum technology is the steep learning curve and multidisciplinary knowledge required to fully understand the latest publications. The most enjoyable aspect of researching in this field is the abundance of new research published every year. As this technology is only in its infancy, it is fascinating to watch it grow.
Outline why your research is necessary for the end user
QKD in the long wave infrared region has been largely unexplored as a result of the lack of commercial products but due to recent development of quantum cascade lasers alongside continuous variable QKD, this region can now be utilised. Longer waves are expected to have a higher resistance to the effects of turbulence, solar radiation, fog, and rain.
How will it improve the current state
The current state of the art is to use visible light or 1550nm which are both subject to a number of atmospheric losses which limit the applicability of QKD. If my hypothesis is correct, then this research could pave the way for a fully secure global quantum communication network.
When will it be implemented
If the model demonstrates the advantages of using long wave infrared then we can look at building a testbed infrared QKD system, which would take a number of years.
What are the real-world implications
While the advancement of quantum computers threatens the security of current encryption methods, the earth/satellite QKD link is expected to form the security backbone of the quantum internet. The MID/Long-IR wavelength range could yield higher secret key rates, allowing operation in a variety of atmospheric conditions such as turbulence, rain and fog while also reducing detector saturation caused by background radiation.