NASA scientists have traveled a new record distance in a strange frontier: quantum teleportation. They used this weird phenomenon to transmit information 15.5 miles via fiber optic cables and with a dash of quantum entanglement.
In quantum teleportation, two particles—in this case photons—are put in the same state, and if one changes, so does the other. This is called quantum entanglement, and it can theoretically happen across vast distances. But current technology has an upper limit that restricts those distances.
The new record shatters the previous record of just under four miles via optical cable. If the technology advances enough, the idea is that quantum teleportation could create a future of ultra-encrypted computers communicating via quantum entanglement. Imagine secure, encrypted networks across vast regions of our planet.
