Aliens could be sending messages to Earth using quantum physics

Proof of alien life forms has yet to be discovered – but now, a research group has claimed that if they're real they could be communicating across space using quantum physics.

A team has put together a new study into the potential of quantum states, and speculated about their effectiveness in transferring messages from alien forms.

Quantum communications could play a huge role on Earth in years to come, as it has the potential to make information transfer much faster and more secure than regular forms of communication.

Theoretical physicist Arjun Berera and colleague Jaime Calderón-Figueroa from the University of Edinburgh toldScience News about the research and commented on the fragile nature of the quantum networks.

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"Quantum states you generally think of as very delicate, and if there's any kind of external interaction, you kind of destroy that state," Berera said.

Berera went on to contemplate the effectiveness of quantum networks in sending messages across hundreds of thousands of light-years.

Could aliens be communicating using quantum physics?Creative Commons

"It is plausible that quantum communication mediated by photons could be established across interstellar distances, in particular for photons in the X-ray region below the electron mass," the research reads.

The modelling in the research ran calculations on X-Rays across space in order to check for the breaking up of the quantum state, also known as decoherence.

They reached the conclusion that light particles, or photons, could be sent hundreds of thousands of light-years across the galaxy if used as quantum particles.

The researchers also pondered the idea that using a quantum signal in such a way would be appealing to potential extraterrestrial intelligence.

"In principle, it should be possible to detect a quantum signal coming from an astrophysical body or even an intelligent signal from an extraterrestrial civilization," the research reads.

So, while we don’t know whether they exist or not, is aliens are real they could very well be using quantum physics to communicate with each other.

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