In spite of the fact that we have not yet discovered any evidence of alien life, it doesn't mean it isn't out there, beyond our reach. According to a new mathematical model, aliens may be able to communicate with us across space via quantum physics.

It is well underway that quantum communications will be developed on Earth. We can inherently make information transfer faster and safer through quantum mechanics if we can make it work.

The fact that quantum networks are fragile and susceptible to interference is one of the major hurdles that must be overcome before they can be established. In this study, such networks were found to be capable of flying across space without breaking up.

'Quantum states you generally think of as very delicate, and if there's any kind of external interaction, you kind of destroy that state,' the lead author of the research, theoretical physicist Arjun Berbera from the University of Edinburgh in the UK, told Science News.

In order to determine whether decoherence is possible, Berbera and Calderón-Figueroa calculated the movement of X-rays through empty space. It was determined, by the researchers, that photons - particles of light - could be beamed over a distance far greater than the entire Milky Way galaxy if used as quantum particles.

Partly, this is because space has a much lower density of matter than Earth, and the 'cleaner' environment means fewer interferences. Quantum communication networks wouldn't even be affected by gravitational pulls.

The researchers write in their published paper that quantum communication could be established over interstellar distances using photons, especially in the X-ray region below electron mass.

Speculation that alien life forms might use quantum networks to communicate with each other or to attempt contact with us is, of course, pure speculation - but it gives astronomers another potential sign of life to monitor.

Quantum signals have a high information transfer rate, which would make them appealing to any extraterrestrial intelligence out in space, though decoding them may require a quantum computer.

It will probably take several years for transmissions to reach their destinations, even with quantum communication: Information still can't travel faster than the speed of light.

In light of these discoveries, we can now think of quantum communication as well as classical communication as possible ways aliens could communicate with each other.

'It should be possible to detect quantum signals emanating from astrophysical bodies or even intelligent signals from extraterrestrial civilizations,' write the researchers.