Information is travelling faster than ever before, connecting people across the globe at the touch of a button with the help of fibre optic cables spanning the ocean floor.<\/p>\n
While the expansive systems that make the internet possible have grown in efficiency with time, security risks continue to leave sensitive data vulnerable \u2014 an issue Jianbo Gao is determined to solve.<\/p>\n
The Brock University Associate Professor of Chemistry\u00a0aims to address this pressing global challenge through groundbreaking research that will transform fibre optic cables into a next-generation communication technology that is ultra-secure, intelligent and capable of lightspeed global connectivity.<\/p>\n
Gao is conducting this research through a collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) under the Internet of Things: Quantum Sensors Challenge program<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n The initiative connects NRC scientists with experts in universities to develop sensors for next-generation technologies. Gao \u2014 an expert in quantum materials \u2014 was awarded more than $575,000 to conduct this work.<\/p>\n Gao makes quantum dots<\/a><\/u>, or lab-manufactured nanocrystals, that act as semiconductors by allowing electricity to flow and converting light into current. These dots can be used in a wide array of objects, such as solar panels<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n In this latest research, Gao and his team are using quantum dots to make photosensing chips that will be integrated into fibre optic cables.<\/p>\n The researchers will cover the chips in a black coating that will allow them to pick up all wavelengths of light.<\/p>\n This increased amount of light, in turn, is converted to electrical signals that will \u201cfacilitate secure, reliable, lightspeed transmission of communication over long distances,\u201d says Gao.<\/p>\n \u201cRobust communication security and cybersecurity are fundamental to\u00a0our\u00a0lives,\u201d he says. \u201cThe leakage of sensitive financial information,\u00a0such as\u00a0credit card, banking and cryptocurrency data, can result in substantial economic and societal consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n Current information communication uses signals that are like a heavy rainfall, Gao says. A portion of the signal, like water, can be disrupted without anyone noticing, since plenty of signal remains. In contrast, photosensing chips use and detect extremely weak signals \u2014 down to single photons \u2014 which operate more like sending one raindrop at a time. If someone tries to intercept the signal, they cannot take just a small portion without affecting it, he says. This disturbance is immediately noticeable from the receiver, making any eavesdropping attempt detectable.<\/p>\n