Unlike classical data, quantum information cannot be copied or amplified, and while the classical Internet transmits data via mature technologies like routers and switches that link cobwebs of wires and cables, the building blocks of the quantum Internet are still under construction.In their experiment, a glass bulb filled with rubidium gas (a vapour cell) receives incoming photons transporting quantum information, stores that information temporarily and then produces new photons to carry the information away.What is more, unlike many quantum systems, the vapour cell quantum memory can operate at or above room temperature and is relatively simple to assemble – making it a perfect candidate for deployment in quantum networks.Because information stored in the quantum states of photons cannot be copied (unlike electronic signals passing through a cable), a malicious third party cannot intercept quantum data without alerting the sender or the receiver.Using a vapour cell ensures that the device can be used above room-temperature in a wide range of use cases – something that is important when you “consider how ubiquitously memory is used in classical networking and communication,” Buser adds, noting that such a fundamental building block also needs to be very robust."