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.
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.
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.
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.
Quantum mechanics shows that if one is able to generate and manipulate entanglement over a distance, one is able to perform certain tasks which are impossible using only classical communication. Classical communication refers to what is used in the Internet of today. A quantum internet would therefore bring new capabilities to our highly connected world. These capabilities both involve (1) the ability to perform tasks with are provably impossible in the current Internet, such as unconditionally secure communication, and (2) the ability to perform certain tasks much more efficient, such as distributed (quantum) computing or extending the baseline of telescopes. To be able to build a quantum internet, two main components are needed: (i) hardware that can store, manipulate and entangle qubits and (ii) a software stack to control the hardware. The core task of both of these is to generate entanglement to be used by applications. In this thesis we focus on the latter, i.e. the development of software and protocols that enable entanglement generation using capable hardware. To enable a certain application, one can certainly, in theory, manually specify each operation the hardware should perform, involving micro-wave pulses, lasers etc. However, in practice this is not feasible, if not to say impossible, due to the complexity of the operations needed, especially in a distributed system such as a quantum network. What is needed is a software stack, which can help with abstracting complexity away in multiple layers. This allows for someone to program a protocol in one layer without knowing all the details of the lower layers. In particular, one can abstract away the hardware details, in order to make higher-layer protocols and applications hardware-agnostic. Therefore, to be able to build a universal, efficient and scalable quantum internet, a software stack is crucial. In chapter 2 we start discussing the networking part of a software stack. Namely, we introduce a network stack for a quantum internet, drawing parallels to the IP/TCP-suite of the classical Internet. We continue with proposing a service and interface of the lowest layer of the network stack: the link layer. The link layer is here responsible for generating entanglement between nodes in a quantum network which are directly connected by a quantum link, i.e. a fiber cable. When developing a protocol or application it is very useful to be able to run it. Both to see if the intended ideas make sense and also to check that the implementation is actually correct. Currently we do not have quantum hardware that exposes a full-fledge API that can be used to execute applications. For this reason, it is very useful to be able to instead simulate the hardware in a way that exposes the same API as the hardware being developed. In chapter 3 we introduce SimulaQron for this exact purpose. Any application of a quantum internet will need entanglement in one way or another. However, entanglement is generally hard to generate and is usually the bottleneck when executing an application. We would therefore like to make use of the generated entanglement in the most optimal way. To be able to do this we need to understand how entanglement can be transformed and distributed in a quantum network. We study the entanglement of a particular class of states called graph states in chapters 4 to 9 and how these states can be transformed in a quantum network.
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.
The realization of a Quantum Internet is expected to transform communication networks by enabling intrinsically secure information exchange and distributed quantum applications. However, the experimental study of large-scale quantum networks remains limited by the high cost and operational constraints of quantum hardware. To address this challenge, this paper presents the design of a platform conceived to support research and experimentation in the field of quantum networking. The proposed system provides an emulation environment that mirrors the behavior of a real quantum network, enabling researchers to test protocols and mechanisms through a set of quantum operation instructions accessible via an Application Programming Interface (API). Emulated quantum nodes can be deployed across physically distributed locations, using physical or virtual machines or virtualization containers, allowing experiments to reproduce realistic network conditions and inter-node interactions. This approach enables applications to be executed over a persistent, configurable, and interactive environment that integrates both quantum and classical communication layers. To validate the feasibility of the proposed design, a prototype has been built and used to demonstrate its operation through a multi-hop quantum teleportation proof of concept. The results confirm the viability and flexibility of the architecture, laying the foundation for a distributed framework that facilitates the development and evaluation of quantum network architectures, control mechanisms, and experimental use cases.
While quantum communications technology evolves, the promise of a Quantum Internet becomes closer and different proposals to build it have been already proposed, addressing different aspects of what such a global network would imply. We believe a consistent reference architecture model for the Quantum Internet is required to progress in its evolution, addressing the different dimensions such a network has to consider, including the interaction with the "classical" Internet. Such a reference architecture would provide a framework for the integration of the protocols applicable to it, and enable the advance of the applications based on it. As a reference model, it should allow the proposition and analysis of different approaches and solutions, providing a framework to reason about these solutions and their interplay to achieve a global Quantum-enabled open network.Such a model has to satisfy three essential requirements: agility, enabling it to adapt to the evolution of quantum communications base technologies, sustainability, with open availability in technological and economical terms, and pliability, being able to integrate with the operations and management procedures in current networks. This paper describes the reference architecture framework currently being discussed in the QIRG (Quantum Internet Research Group) of IRTF, and intended to provide a conceptual common framework for the integration of the different technology proposals to build the Quantum Internet infrastructure and its convergence with the current Internet. The framework is based on the already extensive experience in the deployment and operation of QKD infrastructures and on recent initiatives focused on the integration of networks and services.