A revolution is taking place in astronomy. The study of exoplanets has advanced over the past 10 years,
Quantum technology will help
According to a recent study by researchers fromAustralia and Singapore, new quantum technology will improve optical VLBI. Stimulated Raman Adiabatic Transition (STIRAP) is a process that allows population transfer between two applicable quantum states using at least two coherent electromagnetic (light) pulses. They control the transitions of a three-level atom or a multilevel system. A process is a form of coherent control between states. Essentially, it allows quantum information to be transmitted without loss.
When using quantum error correction(quantum error correction, QEC) this method may allow VLBI observations to be made at previously inaccessible wavelengths. Once integrated with next-generation instruments, the technique could enable more detailed studies of black holes, exoplanets, the solar system and the surfaces of distant stars.
How does interferometry work?
Simply put, the interferometry method consists ofcombining light from multiple telescopes around the Earth to create images of an object that would otherwise be too difficult to resolve. Very long baseline interferometry refers to a special technique used in radio astronomy in which signals from astronomical radio sources (black holes, quasars, pulsars, star-forming nebulae, etc.) are combined to create detailed images of their structure and activity. In recent years, VLBI has provided the most detailed images yet of stars orbiting Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole at the center of the Galaxy.
It also allowed astronomers from the collaborationEvent Horizon Telescope (EHT) to take the first image of a black hole (M87) and Sgr A itself. But as they noted in the study, classical interferometry and, in fact, the creation of an Earth-sized telescope are still hampered by several physical limitations. These include information loss, noise, and the fact that the resulting light is typically quantum in nature (where photons are entangled). By eliminating these limitations, VLBI could be used for much more precise astronomical research.
Solution to the problem
As scientists describe in the article “Visualizing Starswith quantum error correction,” a process they envision would involve coherent binding of starlight to “dark” atomic states. The next step is to couple the light with QEC, a technique used in quantum computing to protect quantum information from errors due to decoherence and other “quantum noise.” But, as scientists note, this same method will provide more detailed and accurate interferometry.
Testing the theory
To test their theory, the team looked ata scenario in which two objects separated by large distances collect astronomical light. Each shares a predistributed entanglement and contains a "quantum memory" into which light is trapped, and each prepares its own set of quantum data (qubits) into some code with QEC. The resulting quantum states are then imprinted into a common QEC code by a decoder, which protects the data from subsequent noisy operations.
At the "encoder" stage, the signal is captured inquantum memory using the STIRAP method, which allows incoming light to be coherently coupled to the non-radiative state of the atom. The ability to capture light from astronomical sources that account for quantum states (and eliminate quantum noise and information loss) could be a game-changer for interferometry. Moreover, these improvements will impact other areas of astronomy that are also undergoing revolutionary changes today.
What's the bottom line?
Switching to optical frequencies, such a networkquantum imaging will improve image resolution by three to five orders of magnitude. Its power will be sufficient to image small planets around nearby stars, details of stellar systems, kinematics of stellar surfaces, accretion disks, and potentially details around black hole event horizons - none of the projects currently planned are capable of this. In fact, by applying the new technology, humanity will have at its disposal a telescope the size of a planet.
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