A quantum information research team led by Professor Pan Jianwei won the first prize in 2015 China’s State Natural Sciences for being the first in the world to make achievement in quantum information.
The team is the first to achieve the simultaneous quantum teleportation of two inherent properties of a fundamental particle
Quantum teleportation is a process in which quantum information, like the exact state of an atom or photon, can be transmitted from one location to another, with the help of classical communication and previously shared quantum entanglement between the sending and receiving locations.
Pan Jianwei and Lu Chaoyang of the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei City, have led their fellow researchers to simultaneously transfer a photon’s spin (polarization) and its orbital angular momentum (OAM) to another photon some distance away.
The first experimental teleportation of the spin of a photon was achieved in 1997, and since then, everything from the individual states of atomic spins, coherent light fields and other entities have been transferred.
But all of these experiments were limited to teleporting a single property, and scaling that up to even two properties has proved a herculean feat.
The research might lead to innovation in information technology and related industries.
“For example, if I employ Tianhe-2 to solve the system of linear equations of 24th power of ten, it will cost about 100 years. However, if I use quantum computer working trillions of times every second, it will cost me only one second. Therefore, with the help of quantum information, we can improve a lot in the related fields in gene analysis, oil exploration and weather forecast,” said Pan Jianwei.
“We live in an age when the Chinese economy goes well and fast. In such a good period, we brought some scientists and did the right things. That’s why we can succeed,” said Peng Chengzhi, the winner of the first prize in 2015 China’s State Natural Sciences.
“We feel that it’s the responsibility of each Chinese scientist to make scientific innovation and contribution to the sustainable development of the Chinese economy. I think this is our new duty and responsibility in the new era,” said Pan. (CCTV/Reuters)