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Acta Physica Sinica

Research progress of nonlocal quantum entanglement preparation based on quantum multiplexing

Tao Li, WANG Xueqi, XIE Zhihao

Published Jan 1, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Nonlocal quantum entanglement is a fundamental resource for future quantum networks. However, the efficiency of generating nonlocal entanglement between distant nodes is severely limited by the exponential loss incurred when locally generated entangled states are distributed through lossy quantum channels. This limitation becomes more pronounced in practical scenarios requiring the simultaneous distribution of multiple entangled pairs. Although classical multiplexing approaches, such as spatial, temporal, and frequency multiplexing, can increase the nonlocal entanglement generation rate, they do not improve the single-shot transmission efficiency. In contrast, quantum multiplexing, which can be generated by high-dimensional encoding of single photons, allows for the parallel generation of multiple nonlocal entangled pairs in a single transmission round, thereby enhancing the overall efficiency of nonlocal entanglement generation. Quantum multiplexing thus presents a promising route toward scalable quantum networks. This review introduces the mechanisms of generating nonlocal entanglement through quantum multiplexing, and focuses on two main methods: using high-dimensional single-photon encoding and high-dimensional biphoton entanglement distribution. Then it examines how quantum multiplexing can accelerate the generation of nonlocal quantum logical entanglement. Finally, it briefly explores the potential of quantum multiplexing for building large-scale quantum networks.

DOI
10.7498/aps.74.20250589

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Nonlocal quantum entanglement is a fundamental resource for future quantum networks. However, the efficiency of generating nonlocal entanglement between distant nodes is severely limited by the exponential loss incurred when locally generated entangled states are distributed through lossy quantum channels. This limitation becomes more pronounced in practical scenarios requiring the simultaneous distribution of multiple entangled pairs. Although classical multiplexing approaches, such as spatial, temporal, and frequency multiplexing, can increase the nonlocal entanglement generation rate, they do not improve the single-shot transmission efficiency. In contrast, quantum multiplexing, which can be generated by high-dimensional encoding of single photons, allows for the parallel generation of multiple nonlocal entangled pairs in a single transmission round, thereby enhancing the overall efficiency of nonlocal entanglement generation. Quantum multiplexing thus presents a promising route toward scalable quantum networks. This review introduces the mechanisms of generating nonlocal entanglement through quantum multiplexing, and focuses on two main methods: using high-dimensional single-photon encoding and high-dimensional biphoton entanglement distribution. Then it examines how quantum multiplexing can accelerate the generation of nonlocal quantum logical entanglement. Finally, it briefly explores the potential of quantum multiplexing for building large-scale quantum networks.
Quantum networks require parallel quantum entanglement between pairs of distant quantum memories (QMs) for practical applications. However, usually one pair of QMs is entangled using a single photonic pulse and multiple pulses are consumed to generate parallel entanglement between pairs of QMs. We propose a multiplexing method for simultaneously entangling multiple pairs of QMs located in two distant nodes. A single photon with high-dimensional encoding first entangles with all QMs in one node, leading to hybrid entanglement between a high-dimensional photon and two-dimensional QMs, and then it interacts with QMs in the other node and converts the hybrid entanglement to entanglement between multiple pairs of QMs in a heralded way. This can significantly increase the efficiency of large-scale quantum networks by reducing the exponential transmission loss via time-bin multiplexing. Furthermore, this protocol presents a specific connection between high-dimensional and two-dimensional quantum systems.
Quantum networks involving multiqubit entanglement allow exciting applications in quantum communication, quantum sensing, and distributed quantum computation. The efficiency of nonlocal entanglement generation through optical channels drops exponentially with the distance between network nodes. We present a parallel and heralded protocol for generating distributed multiqubit entanglement across multiple nodes. This is achieved by using a high-dimensional single photon that works as a common-data bus connecting all stationary qubits (i.e., silicon-vacancy electron spins), each of which is coupled to a single-sided optical cavity. Parallel multiqubit entangled states are heralded by the detection of the single photon after it interacts with each stationary qubit and passes through each photonic modulation circuit. This parallel protocol can significantly improve the efficiency of distributed entanglement generation and provides a viable route towards distributed multinode quantum networks.
Nonlocal entanglement generation among multiple remote quantum nodes provides a critical foundation for a variety of counterintuitive quantum applications. The exponential loss of photons transmitting over optical fibers sets an upper limit for entangling these quantum nodes. Here, we propose a resource-efficient and parallel protocol for entangling multiple remote quantum nodes via time-bin multiplexing. The transmission of a single photon with qudit-encoding in the time-bin mode enables entangling multiple stationary qubits in parallel when single photons and individual stationary qubit interfaces are used and photon-state modulations are properly introduced before subsequently impinging the photon into each interface. Our protocol can generate parallel multipartite entanglement among (N≥3) quantum nodes with the dimension of the photonic time bins independent of N, exponentially reducing the requirements for the coherence time of the stationary qubits and for the complexity of the photonic modulations. These distinct features make our protocol particularly advantageous for the development of multinode quantum networks.
Nonlocal entanglement generation among multiple remote quantum nodes provides a critical foundation for a variety of counterintuitive quantum applications. The exponential loss of photons transmitting over optical fibers sets an upper limit for entangling these quantum nodes. Here, we propose a resource-efficient and parallel protocol for entangling multiple remote quantum nodes via time-bin multiplexing. The transmission of a single photon with qudit-encoding in the time-bin mode enables entangling multiple stationary qubits in parallel, when single photons and individual stationary qubits interfaces are used and photon-state modulations are properly introduced before subsequently impinging the photon into each interface. Our protocol can generate parallel multipartite entanglement among (N≥3N\geq3N≥3) quantum nodes with the dimension of the photonic time bins independent of NNN, exponentially reducing the requirements for the coherence time of the stationary qubits and for the complexity of the photonic modulations. These distinct features make our protocol particularly advantageous for the development of multinode quantum networks.
Entanglement distribution is a fundamental building block of quantum communication networks, enabling the secure and reliable exchange of quantum information over long distances. Unlike classical communication, quantum networks exploit the unique properties of quantum entanglement to support applications such as quantum key distribution, quantum teleportation, distributed quantum computing, and networked quantum sensing. Although significant progress has been made in recent years, the efficient generation, transmission, and preservation of entangled states remain major research challenges due to photon loss, decoherence, and limitations in current communication infrastructure.This review provides a comprehensive overview of entanglement distribution in quantum communication networks, focusing on the technologies that enable practical implementation and the latest experimental developments. It discusses key approaches for generating and distributing entangled photons through optical fibers, free-space links, and satellite-based communication, together with supporting technologies such as quantum repeaters, quantum memories, and photonic devices. The review also examines recent experimental demonstrations that have advanced long-distance quantum communication while highlighting the technical barriers that must be overcome for large-scale deployment. Finally, emerging applications and future research directions are presented, including the development of scalable quantum networks, the quantum internet, and secure global communication systems. This review aims to provide researchers and students with a clear understanding of the current state of entanglement distribution and its growing role in next-generation quantum communication technologies.
Quantum communication which is our ability to transmission quantum information between remote locations is a primitive operation necessary for a future quantum internet. Quantum communication at its heart relies on establishing entangled links between remote locations which can then be used to teleport quantum data. Typically channel losses limit the distance that photons can be sent without some form of quantum repeater networks which segments the channel into smaller pieces. Entanglement distribution, purification and swapping operations then allows one to create high fidelity entangled pairs between the desired remote locations. Several generations of quantum repeaters have been proposed with dramatically increasing performance but the ultimate network performance is limited by channel losses which are typically fundamental in nature. Here we introduce the concept of quantum multiplexing, which allows us to both minimize the number of photons needed in the entanglement distribution processing but also enhance the quality of the entangled pairs generated. In this presentation we discuss the potential performance gains our quantum multiplexing approach gives.