Abstract:We perform decoy-state quantum key distribution between a low-Earth-orbit satellite and multiple ground stations located in Xinglong, Nanshan, and Graz, which establish satellite-to-ground secure keys with ~kHz rate per passage of the satellite Micius over a ground station. The satellite thus establishes a secure key between itself and, say, Xinglong, and another key between itself and, say, Graz.Then, upon request from the ground command, Micius acts as a trusted relay. It performs bitwise exclusive OR operations between the two keys and relays the result to one of the ground stations. That way, a secret key is created between China and Europe at locations separated by 7600 km on Earth. These keys are then used for intercontinental quantum-secured communication. This was on the one hand the transmission of images in a one-time pad configuration from China to Austria as well as from Austria to China. Also, a videoconference was performed between the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which also included a 280 km optical ground connection between Xinglong and Beijing. Our work points towards an efficient solution for an ultralong-distance global quantum network, laying the groundwork for a future quantum internet.With the growth of internet use and electronic commerce, a secure global network for data protection is necessary. A drawback of traditional public key cryptography is that it is not possible to guarantee it is information theoretically secure. It has been witnessed in history that every advance of encryption has been defeated by advances in hacking. In particular, with the advent of Shor's factoring algorithm [1], most of the currently used cryptographic infrastructure will be defeated by quantum computers.On the contrary, quantum key distribution (QKD) [2] offers unconditional security ensured by the law of physics. QKD uses the fundamental unit of light, single photons, encoded in quantum superposition states which are sent to a distant location. By proper encoding and decoding, two distant parties share strings of random bits called secret keys. However, due to photon loss in the channel, the secure QKD distance by direct transmission of the single photons in optical fibers or terrestrial free space was hitherto limited to a few hundred kilometers [3][4][5][6][7]. Unlike classical bits, the quantum signal in the QKD cannot be noiselessly amplified owing to the quantum no-cloning theorem [8], already contained at the core of Wiesner's proposal of uncopiable quantum money [9], where the security of the QKD is rooted.The main challenge for a practical QKD is to extend the communication range to long distances, ultimately on a global scale. A promising solution to this problem is exploiting satellite and space-based links [10,11]. That way, one can conveniently connect two remote points on Earth with greatly reduced channel loss because most of the photons' propagation path is in empty space with negligible loss and decoherence. In this work, QKD is performed in a ...

Material & MethodsWe have analyzed the loss of enamel and dentine after exposure to different non-alcoholic drinks with a simple new method using bovine teeth. 100 enamel and 100 dentine specimens from freshly extracted bovine incisors were randomly attributed to 10 groups (n=10 for enamel and dentine each). Prior to the start of the experiment all specimens were weighed using a precision balance. The mean initial masses (SD) were 35.8 mg (7.2) for enamel and 24.7 mg (7.0) for dentine. No statistically significant differences were found between groups for initial masses (p>0.05, ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc test). Thereafter, all specimens of one group were simultaneously placed in 200 ml of the following fluids: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola light, Sprite, apple juice, Red Bull, orange juice, Bonaqua Fruits (Mango-Acai), tap water, chlorinated swimming pool water, and lemon juice. Fluids were continuously ventilated at 37° C for 7 days. Thereafter the specimens were weighed again and the mean mass loss was calculated.ResultsThe values were (enamel/dentine): Coca-Cola 7.5 mg/6.6 mg; Coca-Cola light 5.2 mg/3.5 mg, Sprite 26.1 mg/17.7 mg, apple juice 27.1 mg/15.2 mg, Red Bull 16.6 mg/17.0 mg, orange juice 24.3 mg/20.2 mg, Bonaqua Fruits (Mango-Acai) 17.8 mg/16.2 mg, tap water -0.2 mg/-0.3 mg, swimming pool water -0.3 mg/-0.2 mg, and lemon juice 32.0 mg/28.3 mg. From all drinks, Cola and Cola light showed the least erosivity (p<0.001, ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc test) whereas lemon juice showed statistically significant higher erosivity than all other drinks except Sprite and apple juice (p<0.01, ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc test).ConclusionsIn conclusion, erosivity of common non-alcoholic drinks varies widely. For example, Sprite, apple juice, and orange juice are about five times more erosive than Coca-Cola light. The findings from the present study should be taken into account in choosing a diet that provides satisfactory nutrition while minimizing tooth erosion.

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