Quantum satellite shatters entanglement record
Intertwined photons were beamed to two Chinese cities 1,200 kilometers apart
Particles of light born in space have connected two cities via a quantum link about 10 times longer than any created before.
A quantum-communications satellite beamed photons to Earth, separating them by more than 1,200 kilometers. The feat showed that the particles of light can retain a strange type of interconnectedness, known as quantum entanglement, even when flung to opposite ends of a country, researchers from China report in the June 16 Science. The previous distance record was about 100 kilometers (SN: 6/30/12, p. 10). Launched in 2016, the one-of-a-kind satellite is laying the groundwork for a space-based network of quantum communication.