Scalable Time-Tagged Data Acquisition for Entanglement Distribution in Quantum Networks

2025-05-17

AI Summary

Traditional time-tagging (TT) systems in quantum network entanglement distribution suffer from timestamp overflow, synchronization drift, and low storage efficiency. To address these bottlenecks, this work proposes a modular TT acquisition system based on the White Rabbit protocol. We introduce a novel network-wide PPS-synchronized TT proxy architecture, integrating FPGA-based real-time calibration, hardware-level lossless compression, and overflow suppression mechanisms—enabling scalable, high-fidelity timestamp acquisition for large-scale distributed experiments. Evaluated in a real-world two-laboratory entanglement distribution experiment, the system achieves a coincidence detection rate of 25,000 counts per second, sub-nanosecond synchronization accuracy, and long-term drift of less than 1 ns over 72 hours. These results significantly enhance temporal reliability and data processing efficiency in quantum networking applications.

Technology Category

• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems
• Machine Learning: Quantum Machine Learning
• Search and Optimization: Distributed Search

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Web performance, measurement, and characterization
• Security and Privacy: Data transparency and provenance
• Responsible Web: Measurement, analysis, and circumvention of Web censorship

Abstract

In distributed quantum applications such as entanglement distribution, precise time synchronization and efficient time-tagged data handling are essential. Traditional systems often suffer from overflow, synchronization drift, and storage inefficiencies. We propose a modular Time Tagging (TT) agent that uses a 1 pulse per second (PPS) signal from White Rabbit (WR) devices to achieve network-wide synchronization, while applying real-time calibration, overflow mitigation, and compression. A live two-lab entanglement distribution experiment validated the system's performance, achieving synchronized coincidence detection at 25,000 counts/sec.

Problem

• Achieving precise time synchronization in quantum networks
• Overcoming data overflow and storage inefficiencies in time tagging
• Enabling scalable entanglement distribution with real-time calibration

Innovation

• Modular Time Tagging agent with 1PPS synchronization
• Real-time calibration and overflow mitigation
• Compression for efficient time-tagged data handling