Entangled quantum communication is advancing rapidly, with laboratory and metropolitan testbeds under development, but to date there is no unifying Quantum Internet architecture. We propose a Quantum Internet architecture centered around the Quantum Recursive Network Architecture (QRNA), using RuleSet-based connections established using a two-pass connection setup. Scalability and internetworking (for both technological and administrative boundaries) are achieved using recursion in naming and connection control. In the near term, this architecture will support end-to-end, two-party entanglement on minimal hardware, and it will extend smoothly to multiparty entanglement and the use of quantum error correction on advanced hardware in the future. For a network internal gateway protocol, we recommend (but do not require) qDijkstra with seconds per Bell pair as link cost for routing; the external gateway protocol is designed to build recursively. The strength of our architecture is shown by assessing extensibility and demonstrating how robust protocol operation can be confirmed using the RuleSet paradigm.
Entangled quantum communication is advancing rapidly, with laboratory and metropolitan testbeds under development, but to date there is no unifying Quantum Internet architecture. We propose a Quantum Internet architecture centered around the Quantum Recursive Network Architecture (QRNA), using RuleSet-based connections established using a two-pass connection setup. Scalability and internetworking (for both technological and administrative boundaries) are achieved using recursion in naming and connection control. In the near term, this architecture will support end-to-end, two-party entanglement on minimal hardware, and it will extend smoothly to multiparty entanglement and the use of quantum error correction on advanced hardware in the future. For a network internal gateway protocol, we recommend (but do not require) qDijkstra with seconds per Bell pair as link cost for routing; the external gateway protocol is designed to build recursively. The strength of our architecture is shown by assessing extensibility and demonstrating how robust protocol operation can be confirmed using the RuleSet paradigm.
A scalable and robust infrastructure for arbitrary quantum communication and distributed quantum computation will realize enhanced as well as new applications that are beyond the reach of classical communication networks. Quantum internetworking, which achieves large-scale quantum networks by building recursively on smaller quantum networks, is a promising approach. However, there are two big difficulties: decomposing end-to-end quantum communication, which is actually a complex distributed computing spanning classical and quantum computing, into processing for each subnetwork; and supporting future network functionality sustainably. In this work, we propose design principles for a quantum internetworking protocol based on the quantum recursive network architecture (QRNA) utilizing the RuleSet-based approach. We design two distinct approaches for recursion in quantum networks, namely link- and node-recursion. We demonstrate how end-to-end Bell pairs are generated over our internetworking systems, and evaluate the scaling of inputs to the distributed processing, via implementation on the Quantum Internet Simulation Package (QuISP). Our subnetwork recursion demonstrates the long-term future scalability as the size of and demands made on the Quantum Internet.
Quantum networks present various research challenges that need to be addressed for the development of future quantum Internet architectures, such as the interconnection of large numbers of end devices, and remote long distance connection. The recursive inter-network architecture (RINA) introduces great flexibility, scalability and a set of principles that can be applied to quantum networks, yielding a network model based on RINA, which we refer to as RINA-based quantum network. Such approach offers an appropriate solution to address the challenges posed by quantum networks. This paper presents the authors' vision on the potential of RINA-based quantum networks to advance the quantum Internet. First, a model based on packet switching is proposed to carry quantum payloads in local-area scenarios. Then, a RINA-based approach for entanglement-based teleportation is presented for wide-area scenarios. Last, a full RINA-based quantum network model for end-to-end communication is proposed. The proposed model enables the interconnection of packet-switching networks and entanglement-based networks. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first attempt at designing a RINA-based quantum inter-network model.
Near-term quantum networks will grow to form a Noisy, Intermediate-
Scale Quantum Internet (NISQI). Connection setup will require adapting
behavior along the path to the noise levels of individual elements. In
this proposal, path creation is triggered by an application at the
Initiator, information is accumulated node-by-node on an outbound pass
in a series of QCap (quantum capability) blocks, then the RuleSets are
created at the Responder. RuleSets are installed at the individual
nodes on the return pass. This document describes the architecture of
connection setup in a network. Details of the RuleSets and QCaps,
addressing architecture, link protocols, routing, resource allocation
(multiplexing), extension of this setup procedure to an internetwork,
and extension to multiparty communications are beyond the scope of
this document.
Layered architectures for the Quantum Internet have been proposed, inspired by that of the classical Internet, which has demonstrated high maintainability even in large-scale systems. While lower layers in the Quantum Internet, such as entanglement generation and distribution, have been extensively studied, the application layer - responsible for translating user requests into executable quantum-network operations - remains largely unexplored. A significant challenge is translating application-level requests into the concrete instructions executable at lower layers. In this work, we introduce a RuleSet-based framework that explicitly incorporates the application layer into the layered architecture of the Quantum Internet. Our framework builds on a RuleSet-based protocol, clarifying communication procedures, organizing application request information, and introducing new Rules for application execution by embedding application specifications into RuleSets. To evaluate feasibility, we constructed state machines from the generated RuleSets. This approach enables a transparent integration from the application layer down to the physical layer, thereby lowering barriers to deploying new applications on the Quantum Internet.
A quantum network, which involves multiple parties pinging each other with quantum messages, could revolutionize communication, computing and basic sciences. The future internet will be a global system of various packet switching quantum and classical networks and we call it quantum internet. To build a quantum internet, unified protocols that support the distribution of quantum messages within it are necessary. Intuitively one would extend classical internet protocols to handle quantum messages. However, classical network mechanisms, especially those related to error control and reliable connection, implicitly assume that information can be duplicated, which is not true in the quantum world due to the no-cloning theorem and monogamy of entanglement. In this paper, we investigate and propose protocols for packet quantum network intercommunication. To handle the packet loss problem in transport, we propose a quantum retransmission protocol based on the recursive use of a quantum secret sharing scheme. Other internet protocols are also discussed. In particular, the creation of the logical process-to-process connections is accomplished by a quantum version of the three-way handshake protocol.
The key objective of the Quantum Internet is the distribution and manipulation of entanglement to enable unprecedented applications. This requires a radical departure from classical Internet design principles, such as the end-to-end argument, due to the inherently stateful and non-local nature of entanglement, which demands coordinated in-network operations and persistent state awareness. To this end, we propose a novel hierarchical Quantum Internet architecture centered on the concept ofEntanglement-Defined Controller(EDC). This architectural design constitutes the foundational layer, by enabling a clear separation between control and data planes. While necessary, this separation is insufficient to manage entanglement resources, requiring aquantum-native control plane. Consequently, we propose aquantum addressing schemethat embeds quantumness directly into node identifiers, allowing the network to natively track and manipulate entanglement as a dynamic resource. Built upon these two interdependent pillars – EDC-based architecture and quantum addressing – we design aquantum-native routing protocolthat achieves scalability through compact routing tables, by efficiently operating over entanglement-defined topologies. Finally, we design aquantum address splittingfunctionality based on Schrödinger’s oracles that generalizes classical match-and-forward logic to the quantum domain. Collectively, these contributions demonstrate, for the first time, the fundamental advantages of quantum-by-design network control for enabling scalable quantum networking.