Quantum optical hard drive breakthrough

Scientists developing a prototype quantum hard drive have improved storage time by a factor of more than 100 ("Optically addressable nuclear spins in a solid with a six-hour coherence time").

The team's record storage time of six hours is a major step towards a secure worldwide data encryption network based on quantum information, which could be used for banking transactions and personal emails.

"We believe it will soon be possible to distribute quantum information between any two points on the globe," said lead author Manjin Zhong, from the Research School of Physics and Engineering (RSPE) at The Australian National University (ANU).