Hanle Best Place For Quantum Communications Ground Station

New Delhi: India's remarkable geographical diversity can help transmit quantum signals into space for much efficient satellite-based quantum communications, researchers from Bengaluru-based Raman Research Institute (RRI) said on Friday.

In meticulous research, RRI scientists analysed existing open-source data available on three of India's most sophisticated observatory sites, and found that the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) in Hanle, nestled in the pristine heights of Ladakh, as the prime candidate for this revolutionary technology.

This site in Hanle is a dry and a cold desert, with temperatures in winter plummeting to minus 25 to 30 degrees Celsius. It suffers from low atmospheric water vapour levels and oxygen concentrations.