Scaling New Heights in Quantum Research
Innsbruck's geographical location, with high mountains in close proximity to cutting-edge research laboratories, makes the Tyrolean capital an ideal location for research into space-based quantum communication.
Innsbruck's quantum physics center is one of the world's leading research centers in the field of quantum information and can connect with other centers in Europe and the rest of the world via this telescope using satellite-based quantum communication.
Global quantum communication requires satellites in space. They serve as sources of entangled light signals or as trusted communication hubs.
Research activities focus on quantum communication with and via quantum satellites, quantum sensing in the fields of atmospheric science and astrophysics, and the entanglement of remote quantum memories and quantum processors as a step towards a global quantum internet.
The Marietta Blau Ground Station will be built in 2025 on the Hafelekar mountain at an altitude of 2,265 m and will be connected to the quantum optics laboratories at the University of Innsbruck via fiber optics.
At 2265 m above sea level and in the immediate vicinity of the University of Innsbruck with its world-leading research focus on physics, the Hafelekar is the ideal location for the Marietta Blau ground station. The clear sky high above the cloudy Inn Valley offers ideal conditions for communication with space.
Quantum Satellites
The existing and planned satellites for quantum communication orbit the earth at an altitude of around 600 km. By exchanging individual light particles between the satellite and two ground stations, two locations on the earth's surface can communicate with perfect security or, in the future, network their quantum computers.
Research
Quantum Communication
Quantum technologies promise nothing less than to fundamentally revolutionize our modern information processing. One example of this is quantum key distribution. This technology enables verifiably tap-proof communication. Unlike conventional encryption methods, it is not based on assumptions about how complex or time-consuming it is to decrypt a message, but can be built on the fundamentals of the laws of nature.
As the name suggests, quantum technologies are based on the use of tiny units of energy - so-called quanta. These make it possible to store information in a way that does not occur in our everyday lives. Information as we usually know it can be interpreted unambiguously: A coin shows either heads or tails, a bit in a computer is either 0 or 1. Quantum information, on the other hand, behaves differently - a so-called qubit can simultaneously represent the states 0 and 1. The great potential of quantum information technology lies in this property: it promises faster calculations and more secure communication.
One example of such a quantum particle is the photon - the smallest unit of energy in light. Photons are ideal for transmitting information: they travel at the speed of light, can cover long distances and are well-suited for storing quantum information. Modern digital communication already uses light to transmit data via fiber optic cables. However, although this also involves photons, this method cannot simply be transferred to individual photons with quantum information. In today's systems, information is transported by many millions of light particles simultaneously - the loss of individual particles has no impact. Quantum information, on the other hand, is stored on individual photons. If a photon is lost, the information is completely destroyed. This is why quantum communication via fiber optic cables is limited to around 150 kilometers - too little to build a global network like today's Internet.
One solution resides in space: satellites can orbit relatively close to the earth's surface in low earth orbits and exchange quantum information with different locations on earth several times a day. The loss of photons, which is mainly caused by the Earth's atmosphere, is significantly lower than with transmission via fiber optic cables.
The same telescopes that are normally used for observing space bodies are also suitable for quantum communication with satellites - because in both cases the aim is to capture light particles and examine them scientifically.
For this reason, the Marietta Blau optical ground station at the University of Innsbruck is used by several disciplines.
Department of Experimental Physics
Quantum Interfaces
Quantum communication not only offers secure communication. The creation of a real quantum network is of great interest because quantum computers will soon play a central role in information processing. In the future, quantum computers will make it possible to perform extremely complex calculations - including those that would be impossible even with supercomputers, which do not yet exist today. Sharing quantum information between different computers requires operational quantum networks - as well as interfaces between the network and the quantum computer. These so-called quantum interfaces translate quantum information between photons and other physical systems that are better suited for data processing - for example trapped ions in laser traps. University of Innsbruck is a world leader in this field.
The Marietta Blau ground station stands out for its unique blend of high mountain peaks and nearby modern laboratories. Quantum interfaces currently still require a high-end laboratory infrastructure. At the same time, quantum telescopes work best in remote, low-light locations at high altitudes - as close as possible to the edge of the Earth's atmosphere. The Hafelekar offers ideal conditions for this: Despite its exposed location, it is close enough to the science campus of the University of Innsbruck to be connected via fiber optic cables. As a result, the site not only enables research into satellite-based quantum communication, but also into quantum interfaces that can be coupled with satellites.
Marietta Blau
Marietta Blau (1894–1970) was an Austrian physicist and a pioneer in nuclear physics. Together with her colleague Hertha Wambacher, she discovered in 1937 what are known as “disintegration stars” – star-shaped particle tracks caused by nuclear reactions from cosmic radiation. She achieved this discovery through the analysis of photographic plates that were exposed at the high-altitude radiation station on Hafelekar, above Innsbruck. The station was established in 1931 on the initiative of the future Nobel laureate Victor Franz Hess. (Victor Franz Hess Observatory) eingerichtet. Today, it is recognized as a “Historic Site” by the European Physical Society.
Due to her Jewish heritage, Blau had to flee from the Nazis in 1938. She initially emigrated to Norway, then to Mexico, and finally to the United States, where she continued her scientific work. Despite being nominated several times for the Nobel Prize, she was never awarded this highest honor. It was only decades later that her contributions to physics were properly recognized.
The discovery of the “disintegration stars” at Hafelekar represents a significant milestone in the study of cosmic radiation and connects Marietta Blau in a special way to Innsbruck and its university.
Ground Station
At the heart of the Marietta Blau Ground Station is a 1 m reflector telescope, which is not only suitable for observing distant celestial objects, but also for sending and receiving quantum signals in the form of individual light particles from and to quantum satellites. Because these satellites move fast across the sky, it must be aligned quickly and precisely. Modern optical technologies are thus enabling access to the quantum internet.
The Ritchey-Chrétien telescope comes from ASA Astrosysteme. It has a primary mirror with a diameter of one meter, which can be moved fast enough to follow satellites in low earth orbit.
Key data of the telescope
Ritchey-Chrétien telescope from ASA Astrosysteme
Mirror diameter: 1 meter
Fused silica optic
Alt-Az suspension
Weight: 1.2 tons
Image field: 1,22 Grad
Satellite tracking: 20°-85°
The telescope frame was manufactured by Innovametall and assembled on the Hafelkar. The planning and construction management was carried out by schafferer – architektur und projektmanagement. The construction of the ground station was financed by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG with funds from the Next Generation EU program.
