Overview

• A team led by Mirko Pittaluga achieved a 254 km quantum communication link between Frankfurt, Kirchfeld, and Kehl in Germany using commercial fiber optics.
• The system operated at room temperature without requiring cryogenic cooling, utilizing standard telecom racks and cost-effective photon detectors.
• This demonstration set a new distance record for real-world quantum key distribution (QKD) using coherence-based twin-field protocols.
• The experiment highlights the potential for integrating quantum communication into existing telecommunications infrastructure without significant modifications.
• Future advancements, such as quantum repeaters, will be needed to address scalability challenges and extend secure quantum networks over continental distances.