A quantum network architecture based on reconfigurable quantum interfaces is proposed with 4.59 MHz entanglement distribution rate. Our architecture is compatible with multiple matter qubits platforms with reduced noise and network reconfiguration latency.
Practical distributed quantum computing and error correction require quantum networks with high-qubit-rate, high-fidelity, and low-reconfiguration-latency. Unfortunately, current approaches are limited by fundamental constraints: single-channel entanglement rates remain at the MHz level with millisecond-level reconfiguration, which is insufficient for fault-tolerant distributed quantum computing. Here, we propose a quantum network architecture that leverages reconfigurable quantum interfaces and wavelength-selective switches to overcome bandwidth and latency constraints. By tuning the frequency and temporal modes of photonic qubits across dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) channels, our protocol achieves an entanglement generation rate of up to 183.4 MHz based on our comprehensive modeling of the networked cold atom computing systems. Our architecture enables nanosecond-scale network reconfiguration with low loss, low infidelity, and high dimensionality. Our modeling and simulation are designed for deployable distributed quantum computing and error correction, integrating the quantum interface, network switching, circuit compilation, and execution into a unified framework. The proposed architecture is fully compatible with industry-standard DWDM infrastructure, providing a scalable and cost-effective foundation for distributed quantum computing.
The distribution of quantum entanglement between remote clients offers opportunities for secure communication, distributed quantum computation, and quantum-enhanced sensing. A key technology for allowing such a quantum network to extend over large distances is the quantum repeater, which typically employs a long-lived quantum memory with an optical interface. The past decade has seen tremendous progress in experimentally realizing the fundamental building blocks of these repeaters, but open questions remain on what architectures achieve optimal entanglement flows in multi-user quantum networks. Here, we propose a quantum router architecture comprising many quantum repeater nodes in a flexible photonic switchboard architecture to broker entanglement flows across such networks. We compute the rate and fidelity of entanglement distribution using this architecture using an event-based simulation platform. We find that the router's photonic switchboard improves the entanglement fidelity with the number of qubits per node, without a significant drop in the entanglement distribution rate. The proposed quantum router architecture uses present-day photonic switch technology such as photonic integrated circuits, opening a path to near-term deployable multi-user quantum networks.
Quantum networks create a completely new way for communication, and the most important function of a quantum network is to generate long-distance quantum entanglement to serve a number of quantum applications. As the scale of the network expands, in order to establish end-to-end entanglement between two remote nodes, entangled pairs need to be generated and distributed among multiple repeaters along the path from the source to the destination, which requires a specific protocol to negotiate resource allocations and quantum operations among the repeaters. Thus, to realize such remote entanglement distribution in a quantum network, designing a stable and reliable protocol becomes urgent and necessary. In this article, we focus on how to guarantee the generation rate of entangled pairs between any two quantum nodes to meet the requirements of various quantum applications in a large-scale quantum network. We present a connection-oriented entanglement distribution protocol inspired by the connection-oriented communication model in classical networks. Our protocol is located in the network layer of the quantum network to enable end-to-end quantum communication. Three main features are provided by the proposed protocol: 1) it is reliable and can guarantee the successful entanglement generation; 2) it can reduce the influence of quantum decoherence via reducing the latency caused by resource competition; and 3) it can guarantee the rate of generating entanglement between two quantum nodes according to the requirement of quantum applications.
The realization of a scalable quantum network (QN) hinges on the efficient distribution of entanglement across heterogeneous hardware platforms. While traditional QN frameworks are often restricted to single-encoding schemes, relying exclusively on either discrete (DV) or continuous (CV) variables, such segregated architectures limit the capacity and interoperability of large-scale systems. Here, we propose a scalable hybrid entanglement distribution scheme that bridges these domains by mapping hybrid entanglement swapping and concentration at DV--CV interfaces onto a unified set of series and parallel graph rules. We demonstrate that our hybrid approach exhibits a {potential} performance advantage over traditional point-to-point generation of maximally entangled states, achieving enhanced end-to-end entanglement within series-parallel topologies. These results provide a theoretical foundation for designing resource-efficient, interpretable architectures for the future quantum internet.