Quantum technologies
will soon be used to develop secure maritime communications in a joint effort
by the Raman Research
Institute (RRI) and the Indian
Navy.
RRI, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology
(DST), inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the
Weapons and Electronics Systems Engineering Establishment (WESEE), the R&D
establishment of the Indian Navy, during a ceremony held in New Delhi recently.
The MoU, which is for a period of five years, was
signed between Professor Tarun
Souradeep, Director,
RRI, and Vice Admiral Sandeep Naithani, Chief of Materiel, Indian Navy.
Under
this agreement, RRI’s Quantum Information and Computing (QuIC) lab will lead
the research efforts towards developing quantum key distribution techniques that the Indian Navy could leverage in the nation’s
efforts towards securing free space communications.
“I am absolutely delighted that Indian Science and
Technology ecosystem has been opening borders in recent years that enable
talented and world-class researchers in the academic research institutions to
contribute to the growth of Science and Technology capabilities in strategic
areas of national importance. Porosity of the perceived boundary between
fundamental and applied sciences as well as Science and Technology, will bode
well in the coming decades. RRI feels proud to partner with WESEE in cutting
edge Science and Technology,” said Prof. Souradeep.
Professor Urbasi Sinha, Group Head, QuIC
lab, said, “This is a great opportunity to use indigenously developed
science and technology knowledge to serve our nation. We are excited with the
collaboration and believe that with our expertise in the domain of secure
quantum communications, we will be able to help foster cutting-edge research
towards identification of potential maritime use-cases for the Indian Navy.”
This
lab has been leading the country’s research in the field of secure quantum
communication. Some of its major achievements include
the development of an end-to-end simulation toolkit named “qkdSim”, ensuring
safety in communication platforms, establishing secure communication between
two buildings, and, more recently, between a stationary source and a mobile
receiver.
QuIC lab also happens to be India’s first laboratory to propose and implement a wide range of applications using single and entangled photons, particularly towards establishing secure communications in strategic areas like banking, defence, and cyber security.