Quantum Satellite: a new chapter of information era

On August 16th, the worlds first quantum satellite Mozi was

launched from the Gobi desert. This satellite might propel China to
the first place in one of the most challenging fields in Science:
quantum physics. As soon as it was launched, news media across
the whole world blew up, with The Wall Street Journal publishing an
article titled Chinas latest leap forward isnt just greatits
quantum. Indeed, the launch of the satellite launches something
else at the same timea huge step in both quantum physics
and encrypted communication.
To understand the purpose of the quantum satellite, one must
be aware of the a basic principle of quantum. A quantum, as we
have learned in chemistry class, is the smallest unit for mass and
energy; it cannot be divided into anything smaller. The first principle
of quantum physics is that a quantums original state will be
destroyed instantly after measuring it. A quantum usually has two
pure states, up spin or down spin. But other than these two, it has a
mixed state, which is a combination of the pure states. When we are
unsure of the quantums state, the quantum is at a mixed state. But
after we measure the quantums state, its fragile original state
instantly collapses.
But how does the quantum satellite utilize this principle? Well,
it has a goal: to create an encrypted network, which is done by
distributing security keys. A security key is common: its origin can
be traced back to Caesars alphabet algorithm, in which every letter
in a sentence is moved forward or backward by one letter. But
whats special about these security keys is that they are truly hackproof due to the nature of quantum. The satellite contains the
apparatus that can generate one light particle at a time. This
particle is made to have either up spin (meaning 1 in binary) or
down spin (meaning 0). The receiver will receive the quantum and
measure it, thus receiving the information. If a third party tries to
gain access to the key by measuring it, the quantum, as mentioned
before, will instantly change state, causing the receiver to receive a
quantum with a different state then what the satellite intends to
send. These third party activities can thus be instantly detected, and
this failed transmission of this quantum will be abandoned. Then,
the satellite continues to send another quantum until the security
key distribution is completed.
In fact, this type of quantum-secured communication has
already been established in small-scale in which the light particles
are transmitted through optical fiber. But the quantum satellite is a
prerequisite for massive scale of quantum-secured communication,
for that a quantum experiences much smaller damage while
traveling through space and the atmosphere than in optical fiber.
The damage might cause inaccuracy and inefficiency in security key
transmissions. Another reason for using quantum satellites is that
not all locations provide a desirable landscape for optical fiber. The

launch of this quantum satellite signifies intercontinental quantumsecured communication for the first time, successfully connecting to
two observing stations, one in Beijing and one in Vienna.
Although there has always been a race to produce a quantum
satellite, it is probably no surprise that China has taken the lead.
The funding for basic research in China increased from 1.9 billion in
2005 to 10.1 billion in 2015. The government has been providing
incentives to lure Chinese born, foreign educated quantum experts
back, including Pan Jianwei, the physicist who is leading the project.
The launch of the quantum satellite is a truly remarkable
event due to its contribution to the development of hack-proof
network. Other than this, the satellite will even further the study of
quantum physics by testing out phenomenon such as quantum
entanglement. What is even more memorable, after all, is the
Chineses governments determination to contribute and become a
leader in such challenging fields, instead of following others
footsteps.