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.
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.
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.
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.
Although the network architecture of the Quantum Internet has not yet been established, a hierarchical structure similar to that of the classical Internet has been proposed in recent years. However, discussions on the application layer, the highest layer in the hierarchy, are still in their early stages, and a major challenge lies in the non-trivial task of converting applications into a form that can be accepted by the lower layers. In this study, we propose a framework that defines the necessary information and procedures for executing applications on the Quantum Internet, aiming for seamless integration of the quantum network stack, including the application layer. Our framework builds upon the RuleSet-based protocol, which enables connectivity below the application layer. Before application execution, it clarifies inter-node communication procedures, organizes essential application information, and introduces new Rules for application execution, thereby embedding application-specific information into RuleSets. Through this process, applications are transformed into a format executable on the Quantum Internet. The feasibility of our proposed protocol is validated by converting into an intermediate representation (IR) format that can be executed on nodes within QuISP, a large-scale quantum network simulator. This approach facilitates seamless connectivity from the application layer to the physical layer in the quantum network architecture, reducing barriers to deploying future Quantum Internet applications.
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.
Internet-scale quantum repeater networks will be heterogeneous in physical technology, repeater functionality, and management.The classical control necessary to use the network will therefore face similar issues as Internet data transmission.Many scalability and management problems that arose during the development of the Internet might have been solved in a more uniform fashion, improving flexibility and reducing redundant engineering effort.Quantum repeater network development is currently at the stage where we risk similar duplication when separate systems are combined.We propose a unifying framework that can be used with all existing repeater designs.We introduce the notion of a Quantum Recursive Network Architecture, developed from the emerging classical concept of recursive networks, extending recursive mechanisms from a focus on data forwarding to a more general distributed computing request framework.Recursion abstracts independent transit networks as single relay nodes, unifies software layering, and virtualizes the addresses of resources to improve information hiding and resource management.Our architecture is useful for building arbitrary distributed states, including fundamental distributed states such Bell pairs and GHZ, W, and cluster states.
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.