While quantum physics can sound overwhelming at first, it’s just a set of rules for how everything behaves at very small scales. Conventional electronics tells us how circuits operate and quantum physics, for example, describes the behaviour of single electrons in these circuits. As the rules that quantum physics imposes are different from those of the classical world, we can make real devices that harness them, which are capable of doing things that would otherwise be impossible.

Quantum computers are the most widely publicised emerging quantum technology. They promise to be able to solve certain problems that a conventional computer, no matter how large, never could. One such problem is factoring large numbers into prime components, which both computers and humans struggle with – it is easy to multiply 3,761 and 3,877 with a calculator, but if you’re just given 14,581,397, working out its prime factors is really tough. So, what’s the big deal? Maths problems like this, which are easy in one direction and difficult in the other, underpin the security of the internet, which quantum computing threatens.

There are many emerging - and existing - threats to our digital lives, not just quantum computers, which is something that I am passionate about tackling with a different branch of quantum technology - quantum security devices.

How does this fit under the Security and Protection Science umbrella?

At Lancaster University we have some fantastic facilities that enable us to build the new security devices we invent, to test and refine them, and then to work with companies large and small to bring them to market. Our ambition is to redefine the way physical security is implemented, moving away from complex maths that can be attacked, to quantum devices with provable security metrics.

Exploiting quantum effects allows us to create components with a range of exciting security capabilities, which we can combine to produce secure systems. So far, we have developed components for identification, random number generation, and secure communication.

What are the challenges in this area?

There are many challenges we can tackle with quantum security devices, but one of the biggest is authentication – how do you know a device on a network is what it claims to be, or that safety critical parts that were fitted to your car when it was last serviced were genuine?

Quantum identities (Q-ID®) are a technology we invented and are commercialising through a spin-out company, Quantum Base Ltd. Q-IDs use quantum effects to produce unique identities that are based on imperfections at the atomic scale – essentially providing very small fingerprints for authentication. To reproduce a Q-ID requires atom-scale manipulation, building a copy atom by atom, which is practically impossible.

The US Chamber of Commerce recently estimated the cost of counterfeit products to be "over $500 billion a year", but the impact on society is much more than commercial harm – fake car parts can kill and fake medicines lead to people dying from treatable diseases. It’s exciting to be able to tackle these problems with a simple quantum technology.

What projects are you working on at the moment to explore these challenges?

The most important project we’re working on at the moment is a smartphone-readable anti-counterfeiting label that can be read with a standard smartphone. There's a demo of how this works on YouTube.

Q-ID labels like this can be applied to almost any product and will allow anyone with a smartphone to verify that labelled items are genuine, which will be a game-changer in product security.

What are the areas of research you wish to promote?

In terms of practical applications, today we’re looking at how single components can solve important problems – like tackling counterfeiting with Q-IDs. In 5 to 10 years, we’ll have end-to-end quantum security solutions in the market.

We recently took part in an Innovate UK-funded project with Quantum Base and a range of other partners in which we designed a system to improve the security of battery management systems in cars, using a combination of quantum technologies. A lot of future applications will be like this, under the hood, users won’t be inconvenienced by security and won’t have to bear the burden of data breaches as we do today.

How can people find out more about this research and get involved?

We are very hands-on and love demonstrating the technologies we’ve developed, so look out for us at local events, from open days at the University to Light Up Lancaster, as well as larger exhibits, e.g. UK Cyber Week.

There’s lots more information about real-world developments being made by Quantum Base, including videos showing how the solutions work, on our website.

Our technologies have been covered in articles by many news outlets, such as this one from Forbes: Goodbye Passwords, Hello ‘Unbreakable’ Quantum IDs Containing 1,000 Trillion Atoms

Please get in touch if you’ve any questions: r.j.young@lancaster.ac.uk

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