Artur Ekert

Profile

Artur Ekert is one of the pioneers of quantum cryptography. His research extends over most aspects of information processing in quantum-mechanical systems. It is a cross-disciplinary field bringing together theoretical and experimental quantum physics, computer science and information theory. Its scope ranges from deep fundamental issues in physics to prospective commercial exploitation by the computing and communications industries. His work is mostly theoretical but its results also bear directly on issues of experimental implementation. One reason why it has attracted attention from industry and government agencies is that quantum cryptography can guarantee perfectly secure communication. Another is that projected quantum computers will be capable of efficiently solving some problems (including factorisation, which has a bearing on cryptanalysis) for which there is believed to be no efficient classical algorithm.

Professional Experience

• Leigh-Trapnell Professor in Quantum Physics, DAMTP, University of Cambridge
• Lee Kong Chian Centennial Professor, National University of Singapore
• Director of the Centre for Quantum Technologies in Singapore
• Professor of Quantum Physics, Mathematical Institute, Oxford

Awards

For his discovery of quantum cryptography he was awarded the 1995 Maxwell Medal and Prize by the Institute of Physics, the 2007 Hughes Medal by the Royal Society and the 2019 Micius Quantum Prize. He is also a co-recipient of the 2004 European Union Descartes Prize. In 2016 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.  He is a fellow of the Singapore National Academy of Science and a recipient of the 2017 Singapore Public Administration Medal (Silver) Pingat Pentadbiran Awam. 

Select Publications

• Security Analysis of Quantum Key Distribution with Small Block Length and Its Application to Quantum Space Communications.
  Lim, C; Xu, F; Pan, J; Ekert, A
  Physical review letters issue 10 volume 126 page 100501- (March 2021)
• Entanglement-based secure quantum cryptography over 1,120 kilometres
  Yin, J; Li, Y; Liao, S; Yang, M; Cao, Y; Zhang, L; Ren, J; Cai, W; Liu, W; Li, S; Shu, R; Huang, Y; Deng, L; Li, L; Zhang, Q; Liu, N; Chen, Y; Lu, C; Wang, X; Xu, F; Wang, J; Peng, C; Ekert, A; Pan, J
  Nature volume 582 page 501-505 (15 June 2020)
• Quantum principle of relativity
  Dragan, A; Ekert, A
  New Journal of Physics issue 3 volume 22 (17 February 2020)