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quantum cryptography

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quantum cryptography

An encryption method that can detect eavesdropping. Using optical transmission to send a secret key to the other side, quantum cryptography draws on the inherent properties of photons, which become slightly altered if they are observed by an intruder. When an alteration is detected, the receiver knows the sender's key has been compromised. See cryptography.

Polarized and Entangled Photons
One method relies on the polarization of the photons, which will be altered if observed (see QKD). Another method uses photon pairs that exhibit a correlation between them. Any observation along the way weakens the correlation, which can be detected.



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CODEBREAKER: The HiStory of Codes and Ciphers, from the Ancient Pharaohs to Quantum Cryptography
Quantum cryptography depends on a defining discovery in physics: that subatomic particles can exist in multiple states at once until something interacts with them.
NIST researchers have developed a new measurement technique for the characterization of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), which are used in quantum computing, optical communication, and quantum cryptography applications.
 
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