Abstract In research concerning quantum networks, it is often assumed that the parties can classically communicate with each other. However, classical communication might introduce a substantial delay to the network, especially if it is large. As the latency of a network is one of its most important characteristics, it is interesting to consider quantum networks in which parties cannot communicate classically and ask what limitations this assumption imposes on the possibility of preparing multipartite states in such networks. We show that graph states of an arbitrary prime local dimension known for their numerous applications in quantum information cannot be generated in a quantum network in which parties are connected via sources of bipartite quantum states and the classical communication is replaced by some pre-shared classical correlations. We then generalise our result to arbitrary quantum states that are sufficiently close to graph states.
Abstract In research concerning quantum networks, it is often assumed that the parties can classically communicate with each other. However, classical communication might introduce a substantial delay to the network, especially if it is large. As the latency of a network is one of its most important characteristics, it is interesting to consider quantum networks in which parties cannot communicate classically and ask what limitations this assumption imposes on the possibility of preparing multipartite states in such networks. We show that graph states of an arbitrary prime local dimension known for their numerous applications in quantum information cannot be generated in a quantum network in which parties are connected via sources of bipartite quantum states and the classical communication is replaced by some pre-shared classical correlations. We then generalise our result to arbitrary quantum states that are sufficiently close to graph states.
Abstract Quantum networks lead to novel notions of locality and correlations and an important problem concerns the question of which quantum states can be experimentally prepared with a given network structure and devices and which not. We prove that all multi-qubit graph states arising from a connected graph cannot originate from any quantum network with bipartite sources, as long as feed-forward and quantum memories are not available. Moreover, the fidelity of a multi-qubit graph state and any network state cannot exceed 9/10. Similar results can also be established for a large class of multi-qudit graph states.
Quantum networks connect systems at separate locations via quantum links, enabling a wide range of quantum information tasks between distant parties. Large-scale networks have the potential to enable global secure communication, distributed quantum computation, enhanced clock synchronization, and high-precision multiparameter metrology. For the optimal development of these technologies, however, it is essential to identify the necessary resources and sub-routines that will lead to the quantum advantage, but this is demanding even for the simplest protocols in quantum information processing. Here we show that quantum networks relying on the long-distance distribution of bipartite entanglement, combined with local operations and shared randomness, cannot achieve a relevant quantum advantage. Specifically, we prove that these networks do not help in preparing resourceful quantum states such as Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states or cluster states, despite the free availability of long-distance entanglement. At an abstract level, our work points towards a fundamental difference between bipartite and multipartite entanglement. From a practical perspective, our results highlight the need for classical communication combined with quantum memories to fully harness the power of quantum networks.
Recent advances have led towards first prototypes of quantum networks in which entanglement is distributed by sources producing bipartite entangled states. This raises the question of which states can be generated in quantum networks based on bipartite sources using local operations and classical communication. In this work, we study state transformations under finite rounds of local operations and classical communication (LOCC) in networks based on maximally entangled two-qubit states. We first derive the symmetries for arbitrary network structures, as these determine which transformations are possible. Then, we show that contrary to tree graphs, for which it has already been shown that any state within the same entanglement class can be reached, there exist states which can be reached probabilistically but not deterministically if the network contains a cycle. Furthermore, we provide a systematic way to determine states which are not reachable in networks consisting of a cycle. Moreover, we provide a complete characterization of the states which can be reached in a cycle network with a protocol where each party measures only once, and each step of the protocol results in a deterministic transformation. Finally, we present an example which cannot be reached with such a simple protocol, and constitutes, up to our knowledge, the first example of a LOCC transformation among fully entangled states requiring three rounds of classical communication.
Quantum network states are multipartite states built from distributing pairwise entanglement among parties and underpin the paradigm of quantum networks for quantum information processing. In this work we introduce the problem of partial distillability in noisy quantum networks. This corresponds to the possibility of distilling by local operations and classical communication an arbitrary pure state for an arbitrary subset of parties starting from a single copy of a quantum network state of an increasing number of parties that share noisy (i.e. mixed) bipartite entangled states. Here, distillation means that the target state is obtained with fidelity as close to 1 as desired as the size of the network increases when the pairwise entangled links support a constant amount of noise. While we prove an obstruction to multipartite distillation protocols after teleportation with channels with constant noise, we show that partial distillability is indeed possible if certain well-established graph-theoretic parameters that measure the connectivity in the network grow fast enough with its size. We give necessary as well as sufficient conditions for partial distillability in terms of these parameters and we moreover provide explicit constructions of networks with partial distillability and a relatively slow connectivity growth.
Abstract Quantum communication between distant parties is based on suitable instances of shared entanglement. For efficiency reasons, in an anticipated quantum network beyond point-to-point communication, it is preferable that many parties can communicate simultaneously over the underlying infrastructure; however, bottlenecks in the network may cause delays. Sharing of multi-partite entangled states between parties offers a solution, allowing for parallel quantum communication. Specifically for the two-pair problem, the butterfly network provides the first instance of such an advantage in a bottleneck scenario. In this paper, we propose a more general method for establishing EPR pairs in arbitrary networks. The main difference from standard repeater network approaches is that we use a graph state instead of maximally entangled pairs to achieve long-distance simultaneous communication. We demonstrate how graph-theoretic tools, and specifically local complementation, help decrease the number of required measurements compared to usual methods applied in repeater schemes. We examine other examples of network architectures, where deploying local complementation techniques provides an advantage. We finally consider the problem of extracting graph states for quantum communication via local Clifford operations and Pauli measurements, and discuss that while the general problem is known to be NP-complete, interestingly, for specific classes of structured resources, polynomial time algorithms can be identified.
Quantum networks with bipartite resources and shared randomness present the simplest infrastructure for implementing a future quantum internet. Here, we shall investigate which kinds of entanglement can or cannot be generated from this kind of quantum network by examining their fidelity with different graph states. On the one hand, based on a standard form of graph states under local complementation and a fine-grained uncertainty relation between two projections, we establish upper bounds of fidelity that improve upon previous results by at least 25% as the dimension of local systems tends to infinity. On the other hand, in the triangle network, we propose efficient protocols to generate genuine multipartite entangled states from the network, providing significant nontrivial lower bounds of fidelity with high-dimensional GHZ states. Quantum networks with bipartite resources and shared randomness are important for the future quantum internet, yet the types of entanglement they can generate remain unclear. The authors establish improved upper bounds on fidelity for graph states and propose efficient protocols for generating genuine multipartite entangled states, enhancing quantum network capabilities.