A new study demonstrates that transmitting quantum signals from Earth to a satellite is achievable, opening the door to more robust quantum communication networks.
Quantum satellites are currently used to transmit entangled light particles from space to multiple ground stations, creating ultra-secure communication links. However, new research has revealed that these quantum signals can also be sent in the opposite direction, from Earth to a satellite, an achievement that was once considered impossible.
This advancement removes several long-standing limitations in quantum satellite communication. Ground-based transmitters have access to greater power, are simpler to maintain, and can produce much stronger signals. These advantages could pave the way for global networks of quantum computers connected through satellite-based systems.
The research was conducted by Professor Simon Devitt, Professor Alexander Solntsev, and a team of scientists from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Their findings were recently published in Physical Review Research.
China first entered the field with the 2016 launch of the Micius satellite, which enabled groundbreaking experiments in quantum-encrypted data transmission from space. In 2025, this progress advanced further when the Jinan-1 microsatellite successfully created a 12,900 km quantum communication link between China and South Africa.
“Current quantum satellites create entangled pairs in space and then send each half of the pair down to two places on Earth – called a “downlink,” said Professor Solntsev. “It’s mostly used for cryptography, where only a few photons (particles of light) are needed to generate a secret key.”
Reversing the Flow: The Uplink Challenge
The reverse idea, where entangled photon pairs are created on the ground and sent upward to a satellite, hadn’t been taken seriously. It was thought that an “uplink” approach wouldn’t work due to signal loss, interference, and scattering.
“The idea is to fire two single particles of light from separate ground stations to a satellite orbiting 500 km above Earth, travelling at about 20,000 km per hour, so that they meet so perfectly as to undergo quantum interference. Is this even possible?” said Professor Devitt.
“Surprisingly, our modelling showed that an uplink is feasible. We included real-world effects such as background light from the earth and sunlight reflections from the Moon, atmospheric effects, and the imperfect alignment of optical systems,” he said.
The researchers suggest the uplink concept could be tested in the near future using drones or receivers on balloons, paving the way for future quantum networks across countries and continents using small low-orbit satellites.
Building the Quantum Internet of the Future
“A quantum internet is a very different beast from current nascent cryptographic applications. It’s the same primary mechanism, but you need significantly more photons – more bandwidth – to connect quantum computers,” said Professor Devitt.
“The uplink method could provide that bandwidth. The satellite only needs a compact optical unit to interfere with incoming photons and report the result, rather than quantum hardware to produce the trillions upon trillions of photons per second needed to overcome losses to the ground, allowing for a high-bandwidth quantum link. That keeps costs and size down and makes the approach more practical.”
“In the future, quantum entanglement is going to be a bit like electricity. A commodity that we talk about that powers other things. It’s generated and transmitted in a way that is often invisible to the user; we just plug in our appliances and use it. This will ultimately be the same for large quantum entanglement networks. There will be quantum devices that plug into an entanglement source as well as a power source, utilizing both to do something useful,” he said.
Reference: “Quantum entanglement distribution via uplink satellite channels” by S. Srikara, Hudson Leone, Alexander S. Solnstev and Simon J. Devitt, 14 October 2025, Physical Review Research.
DOI: 10.1103/v3p1-kz4h
Funding: H.L. acknowledges support from the Australian Research Council (ARC) Center of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC2T).
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8 Comments
Very interesting and knowledge details
The idea is to fire two single particles of light from separate ground stations to a satellite orbiting 500 km above Earth, travelling at about 20,000 km per hour, so that they meet so perfectly as to undergo quantum interference. Is this even possible?
VERY GOOD!
1. Is this the understanding of particle physics by the researchers?
2. Where does quantum come from? Is it a spherical particle or a cat that is both dead and alive?
When we pursue the ultimate truth of all things, the space in which our bodies and all things exist may itself be the final and deepest puzzle we need to explore. This is not only the pursuit of physics, but also the most magnificent exploration of the origin of the universe by human reason.
Based on the Topological Vortex Theory (TVT), space is an uniformly incompressible physical entity. Space-time vortices are the products of topological phase transitions of the tipping points in space, are the point defects in spacetime. Point defects do not only impact the thermodynamic properties, but are also central to kinetic processes. They create all things and shape the world through spin and self-organization.
In today’s physics, some so-called peer-reviewed journals—including Physical Review Letters, Nature, Science, and others—stubbornly insist on and promote the following:
1. Even though θ and τ particles exhibit differences in experiments, physics can claim they are the same particle. This is science.
2. Even though topological vortices and antivortices have identical structures and opposite rotational directions, physics can define their structures and directions as entirely different. This is science.
3. Even though two sets of cobalt-60 rotate in opposite directions and experiments reveal asymmetry, physics can still define them as mirror images of each other. This is science.
4. Even though vortex structures are ubiquitous—from cosmic accretion disks to particle spins—physics must insist that vortex structures do not exist and require verification. Only the particles that like God, Demonic, or Angelic are the most fundamental structures of the universe. This is science.
5. Even though everything occupies space and maintains its existence in time, physics must still debate and insist on whether space exists and whether time is a figment of the human mind. This is science.
6. Even though space, with its non-stick, incompressible, and isotropic characteristics, provides a solid foundation for the development of physics, physics must still insist that the ideal fluid properties of space do not exist. This is science.
and go on.
Is this the counterintuitive science they widely promote? Compromising with pseudo academic publications and peer review by pseudo scholars is an insult to science and public intelligence. Some so-called scholars no longer understand what shame is. The study of Topological Vortex Theory (TVT) reminds us that the most profound problems in physics often lie at the intersection of different theories. By exploring these border regions, we can not only resolve contradictions in existing theories but also discover new physical phenomena and application possibilities.
Under the topological vortex architecture, it is highly challenging for even two hydrogen atoms or two quarks to be perfectly symmetrical, let alone counter-rotating two sets of cobalt-60. Contemporary physics and so-called peer-reviewed publications (including Physical Review Letters, Science, Nature, etc.) stubbornly believe that two sets of counter rotating cobalt-60 are two mirror images of each other, constructing a more shocking pseudoscientific theoretical framework in the history of science than the “geocentric model”. This pseudo scientific framework and system have seriously hindered scientific progress and social development.
For nearly a century, physics has been manipulated by this pseudo scientific theoretical system and the interest groups behind it, wasting a lot of manpower, funds, and time. A large amount of pseudo scientific research has been conducted, and countless pseudo scientific papers have been published, causing serious negative impacts on scientific and social progress, as well as humanistic development.
Complexity does not necessarily mean that there is no logical and architectural framework to follow. Mathematics is the language and tool that reveals the motion of spacetime, rather than the motion itself. Although the physical form of spacetime vortices is extremely simple, their interaction patterns are highly complex, and we must develop more and richer mathematical languages to describe and understand them.
The development of the Topological Vortex Theory (TVT) reflects a progression from concrete physical phenomena to abstract mathematical modeling and, ultimately, to interdisciplinary unification.
——Excerpted from https://t.pineal.cn/blogs/4569/An-Overview-of-the-Development-of-Topological-Vortex-Theory-TVT.
Math is a model only. Do not confuse math as THE reality. The pursuit of the unified theory to everything means that math can’t model it…somethings wrong with the math.
Thank you for browsing.
Yes. Do not confuse math as THE reality. Mathematics is the language and tool that reveals the motion of spacetime, rather than the motion itself. Although the physical form of spacetime vortices is extremely simple, their interaction patterns are highly complex, and we must develop more and richer mathematical languages to describe and understand them.
Traditional quantum mechanics interprets the solutions of the Dirac equation as point-like particles, whereas Topological Vortex Theory (TVT) posits that it describes the dynamic interactions of topological vortices and anti-vortices in spacetime. The “wave function” in the equation is essentially an order parameter describing the evolution of the vortex structure, with particles and antiparticles viewed as stable emergent states arising from vortex interactions. This perspective provides a geometric picture for negative energy solutions and spin, and questions the applicability of the Dirac equation at extremely high energy scales.
Based on the Topological Vortex Spacetime Ontology (TVSTO), quantum entanglement is interpreted as a non-local correlation structure within a spacetime vortex network. TVSTO treats spacetime as a quantized fluid, where the stability of entanglement stems from the topological invariants of vortices (such as winding numbers and hole counts), rather than the probabilistic description of traditional quantum theory. This framework is supported by experimental evidence from topological phase transitions and optical skyrmions.
——Excerpted from https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/1971149956460058198.
ZHANG Bao!!!