We propose a novel one-way quantum repeater architecture based on photonic tree-cluster states.Encoding a qubit in a photonic tree cluster protects the information from transmission loss and enables long-range quantum communication through a chain of repeater stations.As opposed to conventional approaches that are limited by the two-way communication time, the overall transmission rate of the current quantum repeater protocol is determined by the local processing time enabling very high communication rates.We further show that such a repeater can be constructed with as little as two stationary qubits and one quantum emitter per repeater station, which significantly increases the experimental feasibility.We discuss potential implementations with diamond defect centers and semiconductor quantum dots efficiently coupled to photonic nanostructures and outline how such systems may be integrated into repeater stations.
We propose a novel one-way quantum repeater architecture based on photonic tree-cluster states.Encoding a qubit in a photonic tree cluster protects the information from transmission loss and enables long-range quantum communication through a chain of repeater stations.As opposed to conventional approaches that are limited by the two-way communication time, the overall transmission rate of the current quantum repeater protocol is determined by the local processing time enabling very high communication rates.We further show that such a repeater can be constructed with as little as two stationary qubits and one quantum emitter per repeater station, which significantly increases the experimental feasibility.We discuss potential implementations with diamond defect centers and semiconductor quantum dots efficiently coupled to photonic nanostructures and outline how such systems may be integrated into repeater stations.
Abstract Quantum repeaters are proposed to overcome exponential photon loss over distance in fibers. One-way quantum repeaters eliminate the need for two-way classical communications, which can potentially outperform quantum-memory-based quantum repeaters. I propose that rare-earth ions doped in solids and coupled with nanophotonic cavity can be used to generate photonic cluster state efficiently, which serve as good platforms for one-way quantum repeater nodes. In addition, I propose a multiplexed scheme of photonic tree cluster state generation with multiple quantum emitters. With less than 100 quantum emitters per repeater node, secret key rates can reach the order of 100 kHz for a communication distance of one thousand kilometers, with the assumption of fast and high-fidelity atom–atom and photon–atom gate operations, as well as high photon collection and detection efficiencies. This proposal is especially useful for generating large-scale photonic cluster state, which is essential for cluster state-based quantum repeater schemes and measurement-based quantum computing.
Highly entangled ``graph'' states of photons have applications in universal quantum computing and in quantum communications. In the latter context, they have been proposed as the key ingredient in the establishment of long-distance entanglement across quantum repeater networks. Recently, a general deterministic approach to generate repeater graph states from quantum emitters was given. However, a detailed protocol for the generation of such states from realistic systems is still needed in order to guide experiments. Here, we provide such explicit protocols for the generation of repeater graph states from two types of quantum emitters: NV centers in diamond and self-assembled quantum dots. A crucial element of our designs is an efficient controlled-Z gate between the emitter and a nuclear spin, used as an ancilla qubit. Additionally, a fast protocol for using pairs of exchange-coupled quantum dots to produce repeater graph states is described. Our focus is on near-term experiments feasible with existing experimental capabilities.
We propose and analyze a hybrid quantum repeater architecture that combines two leading hardware platforms: quantum dots (QDs) as bright, deterministic sources of entangled photon pairs and group-IV-vacancy centers in diamond as efficient, heralded quantum memories. This combination leverages high-rate entanglement generation together with long-lived storage, enabling scalable entanglement distribution over long distances. A key challenge is the large bandwidth mismatch between QD photons and the narrow optical transitions of the memories. We combine a comprehensive model of the spin-photon interface, including full spin-photon coupling dynamics, and explore mitigation strategies such as frequency filtering and optimized magnetic-field orientation. Our results show that with optimized designs, photon-to-memory transfer can be achieved with high efficiency and fidelity, supporting the feasibility of such hybrid systems. Finally, we analyze a full repeater chain using experimentally achievable parameters and find that a network with thousands of memories across several repeater nodes could achieve a secret-key rate of 500 bit/s over 1,000 km, demonstrating the strong potential of this approach for next-generation quantum networks.
Large, multi-dimensional clusters of entangled photons are among the most powerful resources for emerging quantum technologies, as they are predicted to enable global quantum networks or universal quantum computation. Here, we propose an entirely new architecture and protocol for their generation based on recurrent quantum photonic neural networks (QPNNs) and focusing on tree-type cluster states. Unlike other approaches, QPNN-based generators are not limited by the the coherence of quantum emitters or by probabilistic multi-photon operations, enabling arbitrary scaling only limited by loss (which, unavoidably, also affects all other methods). We show that a single QPNN can learn to perform all of the many different operations needed to create a cluster state, from photon routing to entanglement generation, all with near-perfect fidelity and at loss-limited rates, even when it is created from imperfect photonic components. Although these losses ultimately place a limit on the size of the cluster states, we show that state-of-the-art photonics should already allow for clusters of 60 photons, which can grow into the 100s with modest improvements to losses. Finally, we present an analysis of a one-way quantum repeater based on these states, determining the requisite platform quality for a global quantum network and highlighting the potential of the QPNN to play a vital role in high-impact quantum technologies.
To realize long-distance quantum communication, it is crucial to design quantum repeater architectures that can deal with transmission losses and operational errors. Code concatenation of photonic graph codes is a promising way to achieve this; however, existing concatenated codes that can correct both transmission losses and operational errors are extremely hardware-demanding. We propose a one-way quantum repeater architecture based on concatenated ring graph codes and linear optical Bell-state measurements. We construct a scheme to generate the concatenated ring graph codes using quantum emitters, where the number of matter qubits scales linearly with concatenation depth. Furthermore, we devise a measurement strategy at each repeater station with a simple experimental setup where photons are measured in the order that they are created and show that entanglement swapping is fault-tolerant to both transmission losses and operational errors. This allows for long-distance quantum communication (>104 km) at a kHZ rate even in the presence of single qubit error rates ε>10−3.
By encoding logical qubits into specific types of photonic graph states, one can realize quantum repeaters that enable fast entanglement distribution rates approaching classical communication. However, the generation of these photonic graph states requires a formidable resource overhead using traditional approaches based on linear optics. Overcoming this challenge, a number of new schemes have been proposed that employ quantum emitters to deterministically generate photonic graph states. Although these schemes have the potential to significantly reduce the resource cost, a systematic comparison of the repeater performance among different encodings and different generation schemes is lacking. Here, we quantitatively analyze the performance of quantum repeaters based on two different graph states, i.e. the tree graph states and the repeater graph states. For both states, we compare the performance between two generation schemes, one based on a single quantum emitter coupled to ancillary matter qubits, and one based on a single quantum emitter coupled to a delayed feedback. We identify the numerically optimal scheme at different system parameters. Our analysis provides a clear guideline on the selection of the generation scheme for graph-state-based quantum repeaters, and lays out the parameter requirements for future experimental realizations of different schemes.