In quantum networks, a set of entangled states distributed over multiple, alternative, distinct paths between a pair of source-destination nodes can be purified to obtain a higher fidelity entangled state between the nodes. This multipath entanglement purification (MP-EP) strategy can exploit the network's complex structure to strengthen the entanglement connection between node pairs separated by appropriate graph distances. We investigate the network scenarios in which MP-EP outperforms entanglement distribution over single network paths utilizing a statistical model of a quantum network and find that MP-EP can be an effective entanglement distribution strategy over a range of node separations determined by the average edge fidelities and probabilities of the network. We find that MP-EP can boost the entanglement connection between suitably separated node pairs to reach fidelities sufficient for a given quantum task thereby increasing the functionality of a quantum network. Further, we provide statistical criteria for the feasibility of MP-EP in terms of network parameters that can determine the regions of the network where MP-EP can be a useful entanglement distribution strategy.
In quantum networks, a set of entangled states distributed over multiple, alternative, distinct paths between a pair of source-destination nodes can be purified to obtain a higher fidelity entangled state between the nodes. This multipath entanglement purification (MP-EP) strategy can exploit the network's complex structure to strengthen the entanglement connection between node pairs separated by appropriate graph distances. We investigate the network scenarios in which MP-EP outperforms entanglement distribution over single network paths utilizing a statistical model of a quantum network and find that MP-EP can be an effective entanglement distribution strategy over a range of node separations determined by the average edge fidelities and probabilities of the network. We find that MP-EP can boost the entanglement connection between suitably separated node pairs to reach fidelities sufficient for a given quantum task thereby increasing the functionality of a quantum network. Further, we provide statistical criteria for the feasibility of MP-EP in terms of network parameters that can determine the regions of the network where MP-EP can be a useful entanglement distribution strategy.
In quantum networks multipath entanglement pu-rification (MEP) between a pair of source-destination nodes can substantially strengthen their entanglement connection. An efficient MEP strategy can therefore increase the size of the network region where bipartite entanglement based quantum information processing tasks can be implemented. Here, we analyse MEP in a general model of a quantum network and obtain design criteria for efficient MEP strategies. Further, by simulating two different MEP strategies, based on these criteria, on different underlying network topologies we explore how the topology determines the effectiveness of a fixed MEP strategy. Finally, we show that a careful choice of MEP strategy can make the entanglement connection strength between source-destination network nodes effectively independent of its topology. Our results can therefore provide a useful guide for the design of quantum networks and entanglement distribution protocols.
Complex quantum networks can support a diverse set of long-range entanglement distribution schemes ranging from linear repeater protocols to multipath entanglement purification strategies. As a result, a network's resourcefulness, that is its ability to facilitate quantum communication, depends on the deployed distribution scheme. In this work, we analyse and compare the resourcefulness of quantum networks across a broad range of network topologies, including both regular and random networks, under two distinct entanglement distribution schemes. The first relies on entanglement swapping along a single path connecting a source-target pair, while the second exploits entanglement purification using multiple paths between the same source and target nodes. The resourcefulness of the network is quantified using a recently described metric [1] that averages over the maximum teleportation fidelity between arbitrary source-target pairs in the network. We present algorithms for estimating this metric under constraints of edge-usage and ordering of paths. Our results not only demonstrate the sensitivity of the average maximum teleportation fidelity metric to the choice of entanglement distribution protocol, but also highlight the significant improvements enabled by network purification schemes. In particular, purification-based approaches can substantially enhance average teleportation fidelity, thereby improving the overall teleportation capability of quantum networks.
Quantum networks, endowed with their distinct quantum properties, are poised to emerge as indispensable platforms for the implementation of quantum information technology applications in the near future. Within the realm of quantum networks, the transmission of remote quantum information presents a pivotal and intricate challenge, commonly referred to as the entanglement routing problem. While previous efforts have delved into the intricacies of entanglement routing, there has been a notable oversight concerning the crucial parameter of entanglement fidelity. Hence, this paper introduces a novel Purification-enabled Entanglement Routing Algorithm (PERA). Initially, PERA utilizes the network throughput as the routing metric and ensures fidelity guarantees on all nodes in the link through a hop-by-hop purification process. Subsequently, acknowledging the probabilistic nature of entanglement purification, a strategy involving multiple attempts at purification is employed. Finally, a comprehensive utility function is deployed to address the path selection problem for multiple source–destination pairs. Numerical simulations confirm that PERA establishes entanglement connections with outstanding fidelity guarantees. Concurrently, PERA outperforms the baseline algorithm in terms of network throughput and resource utilization.
Entanglement routing establishes remote entanglement connection between two arbitrary nodes, which is one of the most important functions in quantum networks. The existing routing mechanisms mainly improve the robustness and throughput facing the failure of entanglement generations, which, however, rarely include the considerations on the most important metric to evaluate the quality of connection, entanglement fidelity. To solve this problem, we propose purification-enabled entanglement routing designs to provide fidelity guarantee for multiple Source-Destination (SD) pairs in quantum networks. In our proposal, we first consider the single S-D pair scenario and design an iterative routing algorithm, Q-PATH, to find the optimal purification decisions along the routing path with minimum entangled pair cost. Further, a low-complexity routing algorithm using an extended Dijkstra algorithm, Q-LEAP, is designed to reduce the computational complexity by using a simple but effective purification decision method. Then we consider the common scenario with multiple S-D pairs and design a greedy-based algorithm considering resource allocation and rerouting process for multiple routing requests. To verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed algorithms, extensive simulations are conducted, and the simulation results show that the proposed algorithms not only can provide fidelity-guarantee routing solutions, but also has superior performance in terms of throughput, fidelity of end-to-end entanglement connection, and resource utilization ratio, compared with the existing routing scheme.
Long-range entanglement distribution in a quantum network relies on entanglement swapping at intermediate nodes along a network path to connect short-range entangled states established over the network edges. The end-to-end entanglement of a network path obtained via this process determines the utility of the network path for executing entanglement enabled tasks and for the design of entanglement routing protocols in the quantum network. Here we study the end-to-end entanglement of paths in a quantum network when the edges are characterized by multiparameter quantum states that may be considered to be the output of arbitrary and unknown quantum channels described by the network's edges. We find that over ensembles of multiparameter states with fixed concurrence but varying density matrix elements, the end-to-end entanglement takes a range of values upper bounded by a function of the concurrence of the network-edge states. The scaling behavior of the average end-to-end entanglement reveals that its distribution gets increasingly concentrated around the mean as the paths become longer. For a network path of a given length, the average end-to-end entanglement vanishes for edge concurrence values below a threshold that increases with the path length. Although, for edge concurrence values greater than the threshold the average end-to-end entanglement increases faster with the length of the path. As an implication of our results, we show that the optimal path for entanglement distribution between a pair of end nodes, connected by alternate paths with multiparameter states along the edges, can be indeterminate given only entanglement guarantees along the network edges.
Entanglement routing establishes remote entanglement connection between two arbitrary nodes, which is one of the most important functions in quantum networks. The existing routing mechanisms mainly improve the robustness and throughput facing the failure of entanglement generations, which, however, rarely include the considerations on the most important metric to evaluate the quality of connection, entanglement fidelity. To solve this problem, we propose purification-enabled entanglement routing designs to provide fidelity guarantee for multiple Source-Destination (S-D) pairs in quantum networks. In our proposal, we first consider the single S-D pair scenario and design an iterative routing algorithm, Q-PATH, to find the optimal purification decisions along the routing path with minimum entangled pair cost. Further, a low-complexity routing algorithm using an extended Dijkstra algorithm, Q-LEAP, is designed to reduce the computational complexity by using a simple but effective purification decision method. Finally, we consider the common scenario with multiple S-D pairs and design a greedy-based algorithm considering resource allocation and re-routing process for multiple routing requests. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithms not only can provide fidelity-guaranteed routing solutions, but also has superior performance in terms of throughput, fidelity of end-to-end entanglement connection, and resource utilization ratio, compared with the existing routing scheme.