ThinkQuantum
| Formation | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Type | S.r.l. (Società a responsabilità limitata) – Limited liability company |
| Headquarters | Sarcedo, Italy |
| Services | Information Technology & Services |
| Website | https://www.thinkquantum.com/ |
ThinkQuantum Srl is an Italian start-up and spin-off of the University of Padua, established by engineering company Officina Stellare SpA and other academic founders, offering quantum-based technology solutions for cybersecurity and communication systems.
Company
ThinkQuantum, founded in 2021 with headquarters in Sarcedo (VI), is a spin-off of the University of Padua. Most of its founders come from the QuantumFuture Research Group, which has been active in the field of quantum research since 2003. The main industrial partner, Officina Stellare, is a company specialized in the design and production of high-tech opto-mechanical system instrumentation, and is active on both Ground and Space-based applications (from Aerospace, Research, Defense, Earth Observation, Space Situational Awareness and Laser Communication).
Technology
The company operates in diverse technologies and applications:
- fiber-based and free-space QKD (Quantum key distribution)
- Space Quantum Communication
- Quantum Random Number Generation (QRNG)
Fiber-based Quantum Key Distribution (QKD)
Fiber optics represents the backbone of modern communication systems with ubiquitous use from data center interconnecting to long haul links. In many cases these links are used to transport highly sensitive information. In such cases QKD could be an ideal solution to encrypt the data with the highest level of security. Furthermore, QKD represents a future-proof solution, since it is invulnerable to advances in quantum computing, computer sciences or mathematics.
Free-space Quantum Key Distribution (QKD)
Free-space quantum communication allows for a point-to-point link between two locations, without the need of an optical fiber. It represents the ideal solution for those locations that are not reached by the fiber infrastructure, or for those applications that require fast and/or not-permanent deployment of a quantum communication link. It is also the only solution for communication with moving platforms such as drones, high-altitude platforms, aircrafts, ships.
Space Quantum Communication
Long-distance communications require overcoming the losses of fiber-based implementations, which are therefore limited to few hundreds of kilometres. Since the technological maturity of the quantum repeater is still far from concrete applications, the most effective way to extend quantum communication and QKD to the global scale is to use satellites and ground stations exchanging single photons.
Quantum Random Number Generation (QRNG)
Random numbers are an invaluable resource for many different applications, such as simulations, gaming, and data security. In particular, they are a fundamental building block for both classical and quantum cryptography: their security relies on the unpredictability of the random numbers, and the privacy of the encrypted data is compromised if the random number generators are flawed. The majority of random number generators (RNG) used today are based on deterministic algorithms, meaning that no matter how well the generator is designed, it will always be predictable. In the last years, the flaws in these RNG have been exploited by attackers to realize important security breaches of different cryptographic systems. On the other hand, Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNG) exploit the intrinsic randomness of Quantum Mechanics to deliver secure and private random numbers. The processes at the heart of the QRNG are inherently non-deterministic, and they cannot be predicted, even if the full status of the system is known with absolute precision.
Projects
ThinkQuantum has been active in the fields of Quantum Communication and Quantum Random Numbers Generation for twenty years now. In 2008, co-founder Professor Villoresi led the first pioneering experiment demonstrating single-photon exchange between a satellite and a ground station on Earth.[1]
This demonstration was followed by a proposal for the mitigation of turbulence effects in a QKD experiment between two Canary islands separated by 143 km[2], the first demonstration of Quantum Communications from an orbiting transmitter on a LEO satellite using polarization[3] and temporal degrees of freedom[4], fundamental experiments in wave-particle duality of photons in Space[5], and single photon exchange from a MEO[6] and GNSS satellites[7].
The group has recently proposed new devices for fiber and free-space QKD: the POGNAC polarization encoder[8] and the iPOGNAC, its improved version for free-space applications[9] showing intrinsic long-term stability and record quantum bit error rate[10]. The above devices, together with a novel synchronization technique for QKD – Qubit4Sync – presented in 2020[11], were recently tested in a field-trial experiment in the first network installed at the University of Padova[12].
Concerning QNRG, it is worth to mention the first proposal for a QRNG with untrusted source with discrete variables[13], its generalization to continuous variables[14] and a world-record source-device-independent heterodyne-based QRNG at 17 Gbps[15]
The group is currently involved in several national and international projects:
- OpenQKD EU Testbed for Quantum Communications;
- EU project QUANGO aiming at the development of the components for a CubeSat with QKD and 5G capability;
- project QUASAR with the objectives of development of new methods for the realization of ultra-fast and secure QRNGs;
- EU project SECRET with the objective to carry out the first generation of genuine energy-time/time-bin experiments aimed at final, practical applications.
References
- ↑ Villoresi, P; Jennewein, T; Tamburini, F; Aspelmeyer, M; Bonato, C; Ursin, R; Pernechele, C; Luceri, V; Bianco, G; Zeilinger, A; Barbieri, C (2008-03-28). "Experimental verification of the feasibility of a quantum channel between space and Earth". New Journal of Physics. 10 (3): 033038. doi:10.1088/1367-2630/10/3/033038. ISSN 1367-2630. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Vallone, Giuseppe; Marangon, Davide G.; Canale, Matteo; Savorgnan, Ilaria; Bacco, Davide; Barbieri, Mauro; Calimani, Simon; Barbieri, Cesare; Laurenti, Nicola; Villoresi, Paolo (2015-04-14). "Adaptive real time selection for quantum key distribution in lossy and turbulent free-space channels". Physical Review A. 91 (4): 042320. doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.91.042320. hdl:11577/3148342. ISSN 1050-2947. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Vallone, Giuseppe; Bacco, Davide; Dequal, Daniele; Gaiarin, Simone; Luceri, Vincenza; Bianco, Giuseppe; Villoresi, Paolo (2015-07-20). "Experimental Satellite Quantum Communications". Physical Review Letters. 115 (4): 040502. arXiv:1406.4051. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.040502. PMID 26252672. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Vallone, Giuseppe; Dequal, Daniele; Tomasin, Marco; Vedovato, Francesco; Schiavon, Matteo; Luceri, Vincenza; Bianco, Giuseppe; Villoresi, Paolo (2016-06-21). "Interference at the Single Photon Level Along Satellite-Ground Channels". Physical Review Letters. 116 (25): 253601. arXiv:1509.07855. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.253601. ISSN 0031-9007. PMID 27391721. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Vedovato, Francesco; Agnesi, Costantino; Schiavon, Matteo; Dequal, Daniele; Calderaro, Luca; Tomasin, Marco; Marangon, Davide G.; Stanco, Andrea; Luceri, Vincenza; Bianco, Giuseppe; Vallone, Giuseppe (2017-10-01). "Extending Wheeler's delayed-choice experiment to space". Science Advances. 3 (10): e1701180. doi:10.1126/sciadv.1701180. ISSN 2375-2548. PMC 5656428.
- ↑ Dequal, Daniele; Vallone, Giuseppe; Bacco, Davide; Gaiarin, Simone; Luceri, Vincenza; Bianco, Giuseppe; Villoresi, Paolo (2016-01-12). "Experimental single-photon exchange along a space link of 7000 km". Physical Review A. 93 (1): 010301. arXiv:1509.05692. doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.93.010301. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Calderaro, Luca; Agnesi, Costantino; Dequal, Daniele; Vedovato, Francesco; Schiavon, Matteo; Santamato, Alberto; Luceri, Vincenza; Bianco, Giuseppe; Vallone, Giuseppe; Villoresi, Paolo (2019). "Towards quantum communication from global navigation satellite system". Quantum Science and Technology. 4 (1): 015012. arXiv:1804.05022. doi:10.1088/2058-9565/aaefd4. ISSN 2058-9565. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Agnesi, Costantino; Avesani, Marco; Stanco, Andrea; Villoresi, Paolo; Vallone, Giuseppe (2019-05-15). "All-fiber self-compensating polarization encoder for quantum key distribution". Optics Letters. 44 (10): 2398–2401. arXiv:1903.00696. doi:10.1364/OL.44.002398. ISSN 0146-9592. PMID 31090697. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Avesani, Marco; Agnesi, Costantino; Stanco, Andrea; Vallone, Giuseppe; Villoresi, Paolo (2020-09-01). "Stable, low-error, and calibration-free polarization encoder for free-space quantum communication". Optics Letters. 45 (17): 4706–4709. arXiv:2004.11877. doi:10.1364/OL.396412. ISSN 0146-9592. PMID 32870837 Check
|pmid=value (help). Unknown parameter|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Agnesi, Costantino; Avesani, Marco; Calderaro, Luca; Stanco, Andrea; Foletto, Giulio; Zahidy, Mujtaba; Scriminich, Alessia; Vedovato, Francesco; Vallone, Giuseppe; Villoresi, Paolo (2020-04-20). "Simple quantum key distribution with qubit-based synchronization and a self-compensating polarization encoder". Optica. 7 (4): 284. arXiv:1909.12703. doi:10.1364/OPTICA.381013. ISSN 2334-2536. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Calderaro, Luca; Stanco, Andrea; Agnesi, Costantino; Avesani, Marco; Dequal, Daniele; Villoresi, Paolo; Vallone, Giuseppe (2020-05-18). "Fast and Simple Qubit-Based Synchronization for Quantum Key Distribution". Physical Review Applied. 13 (5): 054041. arXiv:1909.12050. doi:10.1103/PhysRevApplied.13.054041. ISSN 2331-7019. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Avesani, Marco; Calderaro, Luca; Foletto, Giulio; Agnesi, Costantino; Picciariello, Francesco; Santagiustina, Francesco B. L.; Scriminich, Alessia; Stanco, Andrea; Vedovato, Francesco; Zahidy, Mujtaba; Vallone, Giuseppe (2021-06-15). "Resource-effective quantum key distribution: a field trial in Padua city center". Optics Letters. 46 (12): 2848–2851. arXiv:2012.08457. doi:10.1364/OL.422890. ISSN 0146-9592. PMID 34129556 Check
|pmid=value (help). Unknown parameter|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Vallone, Giuseppe; Marangon, Davide G.; Tomasin, Marco; Villoresi, Paolo (2014-11-20). "Quantum randomness certified by the uncertainty principle". Physical Review A. 90 (5): 052327. arXiv:1401.7917. doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.90.052327. ISSN 1050-2947. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Marangon, Davide G.; Vallone, Giuseppe; Villoresi, Paolo (2017-02-08). "Source-Device-Independent Ultrafast Quantum Random Number Generation". Physical Review Letters. 118 (6): 060503. arXiv:1509.07390. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.060503. ISSN 0031-9007. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Avesani, Marco; Marangon, Davide G.; Vallone, Giuseppe; Villoresi, Paolo (December 2018). "Source-device-independent heterodyne-based quantum random number generator at 17 Gbps". Nature Communications. 9 (1): 5365. doi:10.1038/s41467-018-07585-0. ISSN 2041-1723.
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