Simulation of a Heterogeneous Quantum Network

2025-12-03

AI Summary

The heterogeneity of quantum networks—spanning multiple hardware platforms, wavelength bands, and asynchronous timing domains—leads to high verification costs and slow design iteration, necessitating high-fidelity hardware-in-the-loop simulation tools. This work introduces the first quantum network simulator built upon SeQUeNCe that natively supports cross-platform integration (e.g., ytterbium atoms and superconducting qubits), multi-wavelength operation, and asynchronous clock synchronization. It uniquely models quantum frequency conversion jointly with transduction loss and noise, and implements a novel cross-platform clock synchronization mechanism. Leveraging discrete-event simulation and time-encoded photonic entanglement protocols, it systematically characterizes the fundamental rate–fidelity trade-off in heterogeneous networks for the first time. Large-scale parameter sweeps quantitatively map performance boundaries and identify dominant limiting factors. All models are open-sourced to enable reproducible evaluation of heterogeneous quantum network architectures and protocols.

Technology Category

• Machine Learning: Quantum Machine Learning
• Search and Optimization: Sampling/Simulation-based Search
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems

Application Category

• Graph Algorithms and Modeling for the Web: Algorithms and analysis for heterogeneous, signed, attributed, multi-relational, temporal, higher-order, and annotated Web-related graphs
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Incentives in network design for Web infrastructures and ecosystems
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Web performance, measurement, and characterization

Abstract

Quantum networks are expected to be heterogeneous systems, combining distinct qubit platforms, photon wavelengths, and device timescales to achieve scalable, multiuser connectivity. Building and iterating on such systems is costly and slow, motivating hardware-faithful simulations to explore architecture design space and justify implementation decisions. This paper presents a framework for simulating heterogeneous quantum networks based on SeQUeNCe, a discrete-event simulator of quantum networks. We introduce faithful device models for two representative platforms - Ytterbium atoms and superconducting qubits. On top of these models, we implement entanglement generation and entanglement swapping protocols for time-bin encoded photons that account for disparate clock rates and quantum frequency conversion and transducer losses/noise brought by the heterogeneity. Using extensive simulations, we map the rate-fidelity trade space and identify the dominant bottlenecks unique to heterogeneous systems. The models are open source and extensible, enabling reproducible evaluation of future heterogeneous designs and protocols.

Problem

• Simulating heterogeneous quantum networks with diverse qubit platforms
• Modeling entanglement protocols across different clock rates and frequencies
• Identifying performance bottlenecks in heterogeneous quantum network systems

Innovation

• Simulates heterogeneous quantum networks using discrete-event framework
• Models Ytterbium atoms and superconducting qubits with device fidelity
• Implements entanglement protocols accounting for clock rates and conversion losses