Excellence with passion
ISAE-SUPAERO researchers explore the quantum universe
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The second quantum revolution is underway! ISAE-SUPAERO is already involved in the research that will lead to the advent of quantum technology in numerous scientific and industrial applications. While research in our laboratories is advancing step by step, the connections between disciplines are being strengthened. Here’s an overview of the areas currently being explored.
At the crossroads of disciplines, quantum shapes the future
Quantum computing: first steps, communications security in focus
“Quantum computing is based on totally different foundations from classical computing and constitutes a revolution that can change the world,” comments Arnaud Dion, teacher-researcher in embedded systems.
Quantum computing will make it possible, for example, to optimize processes such as scheduled aircraft maintenance for companies with very large fleets, and to increase the reliability of weather forecasts, particularly for agriculture, transport, and energy production. In the healthcare field, these developments will accelerate our understanding of diseases and improve the precision of treatments, as well as enabling us to simulate increasingly complex molecules.
The second quantum revolution will rapidly revolutionize computer security as we know it today. Researchers from ISAE-SUPAERO’s Complex Systems Engineering Department have been involved, for nearly 10 years, in a cryptography research program initiated by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST - USA). Launched in 2016, this campaign to standardize new algorithms has selected projects submitted by ISAE-SUPAERO and its partners.
Hamming Quasi-Cyclic (HQC), a protocol developed by researchers at ISAE-SUPAERO, ENAC, the University of Limoges and other universities, has just been selected to meet the future threats posed by quantum computers. This technology will ensure the security of digital exchanges in the fields of telecommunications and sensitive networks. This choice marks a decisive turning point in the history of cryptography, and places HQC at the heart of global cybersecurity.
“When quantum computers will be operational in 10 to 15 years’ time, they will unlock codes in a matter of hours. If we don’t take an interest now in post-quantum cryptography, IT infrastructures could collapse overnight” confides Arnaud Dion.
The Institute is also developing a quantum computing research activity to explore space and aeronautical applications such as image analysis and orbital probe trajectography, which could be envisaged in the future.
Quantum communications networks and signal processing: research on the move
At the heart of the Electronics, Optronics and Signal Processing (DEOS) department, researchers have been working for several years on quantum telecommunications and free-space laser links. Their interest focuses on ground satellite communications, the effects of which are being modeled, and quantum entanglement links dedicated to being tested.
“Experimentally, we have our own satellite laser link / infra-red bench on the ground satellite links. The entangled photon experiment we use today to teach practical quantum physics, based on the work of Alain Aspect (Nobel Prize 2022), will eventually be used to develop our research”, explains Angélique Rissons, professor and head of the DEOS department.
Researcher Meryem Benammar, a specialist in information theory, is working on physical layer security techniques. She is particularly interested in the generation of secure keys to connect users, ensuring their resistance to attacks and interception by spy networks. “We are developing algorithms for extracting secure communication keys for use in quantum key distribution (QKD) schemes”, she explains.
These codes rely on quantum sources of randomness such as entangled photons or photon polarization, and are by construction robust to quantum computers, unlike mathematically generated keys. The practical applications of satellite-transmitted QKD schemes are large-scale, as they offer the opportunity to distribute quantum sources over long distances via optical communication links. In fact, Europe is leading major projects to develop its own quantum key distribution networks.
In terms of training, ISAE-SUPAERO, in partnership with ENSEEIHT, ENAC and INSA Toulouse, offers 3rd-year engineering students the “Advanced Communication Systems” Master’s degree, one of the few courses to address physical layer security with a research focus.
From fundamental research to collaborative projects: next step
At ISAE-SUPAERO, expertise and disciplinary advances in the field of quantum technology are today building bridges between different specialists. In the future, all these skills will be put to good use on cross-disciplinary subjects through applied theses in conjunction with industrial partners.
Fundamental research, which increasingly combines the sciences of telecommunications, signal processing and quantum computing, is evolving towards engineering. ISAE-SUPAERO will be at the heart of these technologies.
