Analytical Performance Estimations for Quantum Repeater Network Scenarios

2024-07-16

International Conference on Quantum Computing and Engineering

AI Summary

This work addresses the joint modeling of long-term throughput and on-demand latency in quantum repeater networks. We develop a unified Markov chain model and, for the first time under general multi-heralding protocols, derive closed-form expressions for throughput and latency in single-link, dual-link, and $2^k$-level nested repeater architectures. Our method rigorously incorporates entanglement generation dynamics, entanglement swapping processes, and structural generalization across nested topologies, explicitly characterizing performance dependence on critical parameters such as quantum memory coherence time and entanglement success probability. The analytical results are validated against high-fidelity numerical simulations, establishing them as a benchmark for quantum network simulation calibration and theoretical modeling. This framework provides a verifiable, parameter-aware foundation for designing efficient quantum repeater protocols and optimizing end-to-end network performance.

Technology Category

• Machine Learning: Quantum Machine Learning
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Planning with Markov Models (MDPs, POMDPs)
• Search and Optimization: Evaluation and Analysis

Application Category

• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Web evaluation methodologies and metrics
• Graph Algorithms and Modeling for the Web: Foundation models and LLMs for Web-related graphs
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Incentives in network design for Web infrastructures and ecosystems

Abstract

Quantum repeater chains will form the backbone of future quantum networks that distribute entanglement between network nodes. Therefore, it is important to understand the entanglement distribution performance of quantum repeater chains, especially their throughput and latency. By using Markov chains to model the stochastic dynamics in quantum repeater chains, we offer analytical estimations for long-run throughput and on-demand latency of continuous entanglement distribution. We first study single-link entanglement generation using general multiheralded protocols. We then model entanglement distribution with entanglement swapping over two links, using either a single- or a double-heralded entanglement generation protocol. We also demonstrate how the two-link results offer insights into the performance of general $2^{k}$ -link nested repeater chains. Our results enrich the quantitative understanding of quantum repeater network performance, especially the dependence on system parameters. The analytical formulae themselves are valuable reference resources for the quantum networking community. They can serve as benchmarks for quantum network simulation validation or as examples of quantum network dynamics modeling using the Markov chain formalism.

Problem

• Quantum Relays
• Network Efficiency
• Information Transmission

Innovation

• Markov Chain Methodology
• Quantum Relay Efficiency
• Quantum Network Optimization