CSIRO has developed two portable quantum-enabled timing devices designed to help maintain secure timing for critical systems when Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals, including GPS, are disrupted.
According to CSIRO, the technology was developed as part of a Defence Science and Technology Group-led project focused on enhancing secure timing capabilities for the Australian Defence Force. The research involved collaboration with Australian and international university partners, including Heriot-Watt University.
Precise timing signals from GNSS satellites underpin a wide range of essential services, including communications, power grids, financial systems, transport, agriculture and emergency services.Â
However, CSIRO said these signals are increasingly vulnerable to interference through jamming, which blocks satellite signals, and spoofing, where false signals are transmitted to deceive receivers.
To address this, CSIRO designed and built two high-flux entangled photon sources, known as the CSIRO Quantum Light Source, that can be deployed at optical ground stations.Â
The devices generate entangled photons that can maintain quantum correlations over long distances, enabling secure ground-to-satellite time transfer.
CSIRO said quantum entanglement makes the system highly sensitive to interference. If an attempt is made to intercept or alter the signal, the quantum state changes, allowing the disruption to be detected immediately so operators can switch to another communication channel. The organisation said this approach makes the system resistant to spoofing.
The research builds on an earlier laboratory design developed with Heriot-Watt University, with CSIRO adapting the technology into a portable, field-ready platform.
While the project has been developed with defence applications in mind, CSIRO said the technology also has potential benefits for civilian infrastructure that depends on reliable timing, including communications networks, transport systems, power grids and financial services.
CSIRO said the project also contributes to Australia’s sovereign capability in quantum technologies by developing key components locally for future secure communications, navigation and timing systems.
