Experiment confirms plan for quantum-coded messages

Scheme allows sending lots of secret data with short decoding key

quantum lock

SECRET SAVER   Sending an encrypted message usually requires a secret key that’s at least as long as the message itself. But thanks to the laws of quantum mechanics, it’s possible to protect long secret messages with much shorter keys, a new experiment shows.

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Researchers have built a modern-day Enigma machine that relies on the quirky laws of quantum mechanics instead of the rotors and levers of the famous World War II–era code machines.