Designing a quantum network protocol

The second quantum revolution brings with it the promise of a quantum internet. As the first quantum network hardware prototypes near completion new challenges emerge. A functional network is more than just the physical hardware, yet work on scalable quantum network systems is in its infancy. In this paper we present a quantum network protocol...

A P4 Data Plane for the Quantum Internet

The quantum technology revolution brings with it the promise of a quantum internet. A new --- quantum --- network stack will be needed to account for the fundamentally new properties of quantum entanglement. The first realisations of quantum networks are imminent and research interest in quantum network protocols has started growing. In the non...

Certification of a functionality in a quantum network stage

We consider testing the ability of quantum network nodes to execute multi-round quantum protocols. Specifically, we examine protocols in which the nodes are capable of performing quantum gates, storing qubits and exchanging said qubits over the network a certain number of times. We propose a simple ping-pong test, which provides a certificate...

Parameter regimes for a single sequential quantum repeater

Quantum key distribution allows for the generation of a secret key between distant parties connected by a quantum channel such as optical fibre or free space. Unfortunately, the rate of generation of a secret key by direct transmission is fundamentally limited by the distance. This limit can be overcome by the implementation of so-called...

Assessing the performance of quantum repeaters for all phase-insensitive Gaussian bosonic channels

One of the most sought-after goals in experimental quantum communication is the implementation of a quantum repeater. The performance of quantum repeaters can be assessed by comparing the attained rate with the quantum and private capacity of direct transmission, assisted by unlimited classical two-way communication. However, these quantities...