Is quantum mechanics about to cause a paradigm shift for data encryption? A Geneva-based quantum cryptography start-up thinks so
Quantum cryptography may seem like an academic topic, but the technology already has considerable commercial potential. The start-up company id Quantique, based in nearby Carouge, was the first company worldwide to put a quantum cryptographic product on the market in 2001. In this talk, the underlying quantum mechanical concepts of the technology will be explained, as well as the practical applications for secure optical communication that id Quantique is developing for various market sectors. Quantum cryptography depends on accurate measurements of the polarization of single photons, and the talk will also touch on some of the hardware that id Quantique has developed for this.
Speaker bio: Grégoire Ribordy is the 34-year-old co-founder of id Quantique. He has over 10 years of experience in various R&D and management roles in the field of optical measurements and communication systems. He was a research fellow at the Group of Applied Physics of the University of Geneva between 1997 and 2001. In this position, he actively developed quantum cryptography technology. More information: http://computing-colloquia.web.cern.ch/computing-colloquia/upcoming.html#greg
