"Can a Piece of Sticky Tape Stop Computer Hackers in Their Tracks?"

Researchers at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS) have joined the fight against online hackers with a new technology that leaps toward affordable, accessible quantum communications. This new technology would prevent social media messaging, banking, and other online activity from being decrypted. Quantum communication remains in early development, only being feasible in very limited fields because of the high costs associated with manufacturing the required devices. The new technology developed by the team integrates quantum sources and waveguides on a chip in an affordable and scalable way, bringing everyday use closer. The lack of reliable quantum light sources that can encode and transmit information has impeded the development of fully functional quantum communication technologies. A paper recently published in ACS Photonics describes the new platform developed by the team that generates quantum emitters based on hexagonal boron nitrate, also known as white graphene. Unlike current quantum emitters, which are created using complex methods in expensive rooms, the new quantum emitters can be made using $20 worth of white graphene pressed onto a piece of adhesive tape. The TMOS Chief Investigator Igor Aharonovich emphasizes that 2D materials, such as hexagonal boron nitride, are emerging materials for integrated quantum photonics that will impact how future optical components are designed and engineered for secured communication. This article continues to discuss the new technology that brings us closer to affordable, accessible quantum communications and the significantly enhanced security of online activity.  

Science Daily reports "Can a Piece of Sticky Tape Stop Computer Hackers in Their Tracks?"