Quantum physics is currently used in practically every element of social life, from computing to communication, ushering in a new technological era.
It’s reasonable to wonder whether we should look for quantum communications from an alien intelligence.
Last year, China launched the first quantum communication satellite, putting mankind on the threshold of a major leap forward in communication technology.
The Chinese satellite is primarily aimed to examine the resilience of quantum entanglement, a strange characteristic of quantum systems responsible for quantum computation and quantum communication, using light as the carrier of quantum information.
Furthermore, this first quantum satellite will investigate not just high-security data encryption but also a novel method of data transmission based on quantum information stored in photon characteristics.
The quantum communication revolution might be crucial in transporting data over long distances and, as a result, in connecting with our universe’s peer intelligent life.
Is light-based quantum communication the answer to our decades-long hunt for extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) signals?
Nature’s quantum information processing
According to a recent paper, quantum communication may be the primary means of information flow in the cosmos, as strange as it may sound given our current technology for probing physical reality.
According to the paper, light passing through distorted spacetime near spinning black holes is limited to encode and process quantum information in the same way that information is processed in our lab quantum computers.
The bent and twisted lines of warped spacetime photons encode quantum bits of information in predetermined sequences that resemble computer program lines of code.
When photons in light beams finally escape the impact of the black hole, they are gifted with simple quantum codes that we may understand and assess the information they carry.
Because the quantum computation and quantum communication appear to be natural occurrences in the cosmos, it may seem reasonable to regard light-based quantum communication as the correct method for sophisticated civilizations to communicate information.
Extraterrestrial quantum messages are being looked for.
We already have the technology to detect and quantify quantum data contained in light.
As a result, numerous academic laboratories and business organizations across the world are putting quantum technology to the test in all facets of its use, from encoding quantum algorithms in photons to transporting quantum bits over long distances and storing quantum data.
Researchers are currently employing technical equipment in labs to study light acquired by telescopes from space and detect the quantum information encoded in each photon.
Furthermore, by directing the telescope in the appropriate direction in space, we can boost our chances of detecting quantum signals, especially given all of the Earth-like exoplanets recently identified by NASA.
We can only detect and quantify elementary quantum states with a limited amount of quantum entanglement, or even maximally entangled Bell states, at first. This is a strong indication that we aren’t alone.
Although humans can detect and decode quantum information trapped in celestial light, we require certain specialized equipment to accurately identify the encoded data.
Computation at the quantum level
While detecting quantum information encoded in light may be the first step toward quantum communication using ETI, it does not solve the difficulty of understanding the message’s content.
The quantum computer is the needed device for deciphering the quantum message by arranging the observed quantum states in the correct sequence.
Quantum states of photons may be put together in the appropriate order to generate a comprehensible output by harnessing the computing enormous power of quantum computers.
The project to build a working quantum computer is now in its final stages, with the goal of taking the completed device out of the lab and putting it into production. Quantum computation will become a part of our daily lives in the not-too-distant future.
Even if the SETI program detects an alien signal, it will most likely be unable to decipher its information instantly.
Instantaneous notification
A means to decipher quantum signals is another important component in the endeavor to quantum communicate with other intelligent forms of life in the cosmos. A quantum key should be required.
The quantum key protects the communication’s security and provides the recipient with the tools needed to correctly assess the message’s content. We may not be able to correctly decode a hypothetical quantum message ETI may convey without the quantum key.
Despite the lack of a quantum key, we should highlight a unique aspect of quantum entanglement. As a result, measuring the quantum state of one photon in an entangled pair causes the state of the other to decay immediately.
To put it another way, when we first discover and measure the quantum information contained in photons by ETI, the message’s sender will be intently averted.
Our initial quantum measurement works as an “alarm button,” signaling to the sender ETI that another technologically superior civilization is rising in the cosmos.
To connect to the “universal quantum internet,” all we have to do is measure the quantum information encoded in a single small photon.
