‘Handshake’ shows China’s quantum satellite performing even better than expected, says scientist
Micius, as it is called, is preparing to conduct the first quantum physics experiments in space that may help solve important riddles of the universe
The world’s first quantum satellite Micius is doing “very well” in space after its launch earlier this month, with all on-board scientific instruments meeting or exceeding expectations, a senior scientist involved in the project said.
Major preparations were completed a couple of days ago, paving the way for ground-breaking experiments in communications and physics, Professor Wang Jianyu told the South China Morning Post.
Last week, some astronomy enthusiasts observed unusual light beams at a ground station in Xinglong Observatory, Beijing. One of the photos was posted by high energy physicist Dr Cao Jun on his social media account on Sunday.
The Micius was sending a green laser beam to the ground while the ground station was shooting a red laser to the satellite, according to Cao. The photo exposure took 200 seconds, creating a red “fan” and a bright green line cutting across the starry night scape, he wrote on Weibo.
Wang, who led the development of the scientific instruments on Micius, confirmed that the photo had captured one of the “warming up exercises”.
The green beam was laser light at the 532-nanometre bandwidth, and the red beam was 671nm. Both were signal beams used by scientists to establish a physical link between the satellite and a ground station before the start of quantum communication – “just like a handshake before the talk”, Wang said.
“I am surprised by the photo. It is unofficial, but stunningly beautiful. The quantum experiments cannot be detected by the naked eye, but with this firm and reliable handshake, I’m confident that the following experiments will proceed very well.”
