Fractional Quantum Network

Günter Mahler A, Volker A. Weberruß

Vinay Kumar, Claudio Cicconetti, Marco Conti +1 more

This study explores an approach to routing in quantum networks, which targets practical scenarios for quantum networks, mirroring real-world classical networks. By addressing practical constraints, we examine the impact of heterogeneous nodes with mixed efficiency figures on quantum network performance. In particular, we focus on some key parameters in an operational quantum network such as the fraction of nodes with a higher efficiency (called high-quality), path establishment order, end-to-end fidelity, i.e., a measure of the quality of the end-to-end entanglement established. Our simulations show that incorporating knowledge of node quality not only helps boost the fidelity of some of the routing paths but also reduces the number of blocked paths in the quantum network. The study also highlights the critical role of the fraction of high-quality nodes in end-to-end fidelity and explores the trade-offs between upgrading all nodes to high quality or retaining a subset of lower-quality nodes.

Günter Mahler A, Volker A. Weberruß

Ang-Kun Wu, Liang Tian, Bruno Coelho Coutinho +2 more

Structural vulnerability of a network can be studied via two key notions in graph theory: articulation points (APs) and bridges, representing nodes and edges whose removal will disconnect the network, respectively. Fundamental properties of APs and bridges in classical random networks have been studied recently. Yet, it is unknown if those properties still hold in quantum networks. Quantum networks allow for the transmission of quantum information between physically separated quantum systems. They play a very important role in quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum sensing. Here we offer an analytical framework to study the structural vulnerability of quantum networks in terms of APs and bridges. In particular, we analytically calculate the fraction of APs and bridges for quantum networks with arbitrary degree distribution and entangled qubits in pure states. We find that quantum networks with swap operations have lower fractions of APs and bridges than their classical counterparts. Moreover, we find that quantum networks under low-degree swap operations are substantially more robust against AP attacks than their classical counterparts. These results help us better understand the structural vulnerability of quantum networks and shed light on the design of more robust quantum networks.

Sudipto Singha Roy, Himadri Shekhar Dhar, Debraj Rakshit +2 more

Quantum networks are an integral component in performing efficient computation and communication tasks that are not accessible using classical systems. A key aspect in designing an effective and scalable quantum network is generating entanglement between its nodes, which is robust against defects in the network. We consider an isotropic quantum network of spin-1/2 particles with a finite fraction of defects, where the corresponding wave function of the network is rotationally invariant under the action of local unitaries. By using quantum information-theoretic concepts like strong subadditivity of von Neumann entropy and approximate quantum telecloning, we prove analytically that in the presence of defects, caused by loss of a finite fraction of spins, the network, composed of a fixed numbers of lattice sites, sustains genuine multisite entanglement and at the same time may exhibit finite moderate-range bipartite entanglement, in contrast to the network with no defects.

Ivan B. Djordjević