Researchers at Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory have successfully transmitted quantum information through open air across a 13-mile span in New York. The milestone achievement bridges a critical gap for New York State’s quantum communications network by testing the viability of wireless free-space optical links.
Bridging the Quantum Gap Without Fiber
Fiber-optic cables remain the standard for routing delicate quantum states, but attenuation and infrastructure constraints impose strict distance caps on fragile photon transmissions. To tackle this, local researchers engineered a test sending light particles from Stony Brook’s Quantum Watchtower to Brookhaven’s Quantum Lighthouse in Upton, New York.
The experimental apparatus used a laser to generate quantum states of light containing only a few photons. These particles left an optical-fiber core measuring approximately 5 microns wide—less than one-tenth the width of a human hair—before successfully propagating through 13 miles of open atmosphere. This free-space leap demonstrates that quantum channels can escape physical glass conduits.
Scaling the Empire State’s Infrastructure
This 13-mile open-air test supports the ongoing expansion of New York’s regional architecture. The pre-existing infrastructure spans 161 miles, interconnecting eight nodes across several institutions on Long Island and in the New York City metropolitan area. State backing has supported these efforts; New York committed $300 million last year to establish a Quantum Research and Innovation Hub at Stony Brook.
Stony Brook President Andrea Goldsmith highlighted that merging the wireless connection with a city fiber grid marks a significant step forward for enhanced data security and a quantum internet of things. Meanwhile, Brookhaven Lab Director John Hill framed the open-air transmission as one step in a broader effort to connect increasingly sophisticated quantum systems for computing, communications and sensing.
Plans are already underway to incorporate a third facility at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, as part of the free-space optical link. According to state officials, a broader quantum network could decrease energy consumption while bolstering research, health care, large-scale computing, cybersecurity, and finance.
The Technical Horizon Ahead
By demonstrating that quantum states can traverse 13 miles of open New York air, researchers have moved past purely theoretical modeling. The ultimate engineering goal remains clear: physically and digitally linking the quantum computers at Stony Brook and Brookhaven so they can work together on scientific problems.
