Austria is getting a Quantum Internet. With the “Austrian Quantum Fiber Network” (AQUnet), an Austria-wide network of fiber optic cables is to be built that is suitable for the exchange of quantum information and precision measurements.
The Research Promotion Agency FFG is funding the project with 2.8 million euros, announced the Technical University (TU) Vienna. Initially, facilities in Vienna and Innsbruck are to be connected to the Quantum Internet.
With the five-year project, the renowned quantum physics groups in Vienna and Innsbruck are to be “linked in a new way”, explained the initiator of the project, Thorsten Schumm from the Atomic Institute of the Vienna University of Technology. The academic project partners include the Vienna University of Technology, the universities of Vienna and Innsbruck and the Federal Office for Metrology and Surveying (BEV).
There is also a group of first users such as the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) and the Institute of Science and Technology (IST) Austria.
The possible applications are not limited to tap-proof quantum communication. The quantum network should also enable high-precision optical time and frequency measurement. (NewsReadOnline)