Quantum communication systems are emerging solutions to transmit information between devices in a network leveraging quantum mechanical phenomena, such as entanglement. Entanglement is a quantum effect that entails a link between two or more particles that share a unified state even at a distance, so that measuring one instantly affects the other.

Like most quantum systems, quantum communication networks are typically highly sensitive to changes and disturbances in the environment, also referred to as noise. Random changes in temperature, as well as random energy caused by heat (i.e., thermal noise), can disrupt the connections in a quantum network, making the reliable transfer of quantum states challenging.

Researchers in Shenzhen, China have demonstrated a quantum network that relies on microwave photons, low-energy light particles and a superconducting transmission line. Their paper, published in Nature Electronics, introduces a promising approach to reduce thermal noise in this network, enabling the reliable transmission of quantum states between distant devices.