QUANTUM SATELLITE
- The National Quantum Mission (NQM), spearheaded by the Department of Science & Technology, aims to harness quantum physics to advance communication and sensing technologies.
- The advent of computers in the mid-20th century marked a turning point in human history, enabling transformative innovations like satellites, telecommunications, weather predictions, and drug discovery.
- However, these technological advancements are now approaching their limits due to the constraints of classical physics, which underpins their functioning.
- To address this, researchers globally are exploring quantum physics phenomena to develop next-generation technologies.
- Quantum physics not only encompasses the outcomes achievable through classical physics but also offers additional possibilities, making these emerging technologies more adaptable and capable of solving complex challenges.
- In April 2023, the Union Cabinet approved the NQM with a budget of ₹6,000 crore for implementation from 2023 to 2031. A proposed quantum satellite forms an integral component of this initiative
- A quantum satellite refers to a communication satellite that employs quantum physics to ensure the security of its transmissions.
- Communication encompasses technologies designed to transmit and receive signals, with a critical focus on safeguarding these transmissions against unauthorized interception, especially when messages traverse vast distances and multiple networks.
- The emergence of quantum computers poses a significant challenge to existing methods of securing communications.
- However, quantum physics has also provided innovative solutions for enhancing security, and quantum satellites are anticipated to play a key role in implementing these advanced protective measures
- A quantum satellite is a specialized spacecraft designed to leverage principles of quantum physics, particularly for secure communication and advanced scientific research.
- These satellites typically employ quantum technologies like quantum key distribution (QKD), which ensures highly secure data transmission by encoding information in quantum states, such as the polarization of photons.
3.1.Features and Applications:
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Secure Communication: Quantum satellites enable secure communication by using QKD. Any attempt to intercept the quantum-encoded data disrupts the quantum states, immediately alerting the system to potential eavesdropping.
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Quantum Entanglement: Some quantum satellites generate and distribute entangled photon pairs over long distances, facilitating experiments and communication protocols that exploit quantum entanglement.
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Global Quantum Network: They act as nodes in a global quantum network, connecting ground stations and facilitating ultra-secure communications between geographically distant locations.
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Scientific Research: Quantum satellites support experiments in fundamental physics, such as testing Bell's inequalities or studying quantum phenomena in space.
Examples
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- Encryption involves concealing information by transforming it using a specific method, known as a cipher. A simple example is the Caesar cipher, which shifts the letters of the alphabet by a fixed number. For instance, if the shift is 5, the phrase BIRDS FLY AWAY becomes GNWIX KQD FBFD.
- Imagine a third person, X, attempting to intercept the message. Without knowledge of the encryption method, X cannot decode the text.
- This approach to security is called cryptographic security, which relies on protecting the encryption key by embedding it within a complex mathematical problem. While an adversary like X could potentially solve the problem using a powerful computer to uncover the key, the difficulty of the problem determines the time and computational resources required.
- Modern Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) ciphers remain challenging even for the most powerful supercomputers. However, quantum computers might have the potential to solve such problems more efficiently
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How can quantum physics protect messages?
Quantum cryptography leverages the principles of quantum physics to secure communication, with its most well-known application being quantum key distribution (QKD). In the earlier example, Anil encrypted a message using a key, which Selvi, possessing the same key, used to decrypt it. QKD focuses on securely sharing this key between Anil and Selvi. If Kaushik tries to intercept the transmission, the intrusion is immediately detected, and the key-sharing process is terminated. Quantum physics offers several mechanisms to guard against eavesdropping. One such method involves quantum measurement, which refers to observing the properties of quantum systems like photons (particles of light). According to quantum physics, measuring a quantum system alters its state. If the key is encoded in a photon stream and Kaushik intercepts and measures the photons, their state will change, alerting Anil and Selvi that the key has been compromised. Another approach is to use quantum entanglement, where two photons are interconnected in such a way that any change to one photon instantly affects the other, enabling secure detection of interference |
The practical application of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) often differs from its theoretical model. This has led the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) to advocate for post-quantum cryptography over quantum cryptography. The NSA's critique highlights five technical drawbacks:
- Lack of authentication: QKD does not inherently authenticate the transmission source.
- Hardware limitations: Being hardware-dependent, QKD systems are difficult to upgrade or patch.
- High costs and risks: QKD increases infrastructure expenses and insider threat vulnerabilities, limiting its potential use cases.
- Limited security: The actual security of QKD systems is constrained by hardware and engineering designs, rather than the idealized "unconditional security" promised by quantum physics.
- Susceptibility to denial-of-service attacks: An eavesdropper can disrupt transmissions, effectively preventing legitimate users from communicating.
Additionally, the no-cloning theorem in quantum physics prohibits the replication of quantum information, making it impossible to amplify signals to compensate for transmission losses
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For Prelims: National Mission on Quantum Technologies & Applications, Internet-of-Things,
For Mains:
1. Discuss the need for implementing the National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications. (250 Words)
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Previous Year Questions 1. Which one of the following is the context in which the term "qubit" is mentioned? (UPSC 2022) A. Cloud Services B. Quantum Computing C. Visible Light Communication Technologies D. Wireless Communication Technologies Answer: B |
