The Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, celebrated as a top hub for innovation, has built a quantum device that may redefine how India keeps its communications secure.
The attributes of the device built at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) are interesting – it’s compact, small enough to fit in a bag.
They have named it Jonaki, the Bengali word for firefly. It weighs just 1.5 kg and is roughly the size of a tablet.
It is reportedly India’s first homegrown, ready-to-use quantum entanglement source.
Jonaki generates pairs of linked light particles, known as entangled photons. The device produces at least ten lakh such pairs every second per milliwatt of power. Scientists claimed this places it among the best devices of its kind in the world.
The science behind it rests on a key principle. If anyone tries to intercept an entangled photon, the link between the pair breaks immediately. This alerts the sender to the intrusion.
Dr Goutam Samanta, research leader at PRL’s Photonic Sciences Laboratory, told a section of the media that this property forms the basis of entanglement-based quantum key distribution. He added that any attempt to intercept communication alters the quantum state of the photons, revealing the presence of an eavesdropper.
Jonaki scores above 98% on global accuracy benchmarks used to evaluate quantum devices. Samanta said the system demonstrates Bell-state fidelity exceeding 98%, along with a strong Bell-inequality violation. These are standards required for high-quality quantum communication and precision experiments.
The device is also built for real-world use. It operates at room temperature without manual adjustment. It connects directly to optical fibres and functions on a plug-and-play basis. Most quantum set-ups occupy entire laboratory tables. Jonaki fits in a bag.
Its applications go beyond communication. Samanta said entangled photons respond to minute changes in optical properties with sensitivities that conventional light sources cannot match. This makes Jonaki useful for high-precision measurements and sensing.
The device is also designed for drone-based deployment. Samanta explained that in such a set-up, Jonaki would serve as the source of entangled photons. One photon from each pair would be transmitted via a free-space optical link to a ground station. Its twin would be retained at another node, enabling secure key generation over an airborne link.
Cost was a central concern in its design. Comparable international systems cost over Rs 30 lakh. Jonaki is built to be more advanced yet far more accessible. Samanta said the goal is to move quantum technology from elite laboratories to Indian educational institutions. He added that by providing an affordable, hands-free device, PRL aims to equip undergraduate colleges to train the next generation of scientists.
The device was presented at the Student Conference on Optics and Photonics — Optical Society of India Symposium (SCOPOSIS).
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