Engineering Innovations: The Internet, but Make it Quantum

Host Kristin Malavenda interviews Purdue ECE associate professor Joseph Luken about engineering “spooky action at a distance” into real technology, including quantum communication networks and the future quantum internet. Luken explains how the quantum internet would transmit qubits and distribute entanglement, why networking is essential for scaling quantum computing and sensing, and why Einstein objected to entanglement until Bell’s later experimental tests supported quantum predictions. He describes quantum key distribution (QKD), how it detects eavesdropping, and how it contrasts with post-quantum cryptography, arguing for pursuing both given the risk of future quantum attacks. Luken discusses recent industry momentum, predicts fault-tolerant quantum computing may arrive  ...