Efficient sharing of quantum entanglement between distant nodes

In recent years, researchers progressed in building quantum local area network components and conducted remarkable demonstrations of entanglement sharing among distant users. At the same time, advances in building quantum computers inspired researchers to seek routes to connect for distributed computing.

Semenenko al. explored how to efficiently share quantum entanglement between distant nodes.

“The essential criterion for effective quantum internet is generating the entanglement robustly among the distant nodes with a high repetition rate,” said co-author Vasili Perebeinos. “This sets stringent requirements on the material’s properties employed in the hardware components.”

Simulations allow quantum network designers to select a material based on the specific quantum network application.

The researchers used SeQUeNCe, the Simulator of Quantum Network Communication code developed at the Argonne National Lab, to integrate models of network components such as light sources, detectors, beam splitters and telecommunication fiber.

“SeQUeNCe code is easy to modify for nondevelopers, and we implemented a simulation of a finite lifetime of quantum memory and studied quantum network performance as a function of quantum memory lifetime,” said co-author Vyacheslav Semenenko.

Independent entanglement generation is more favorable for long-distance quantum local area networks, although it requires a long-lifetime quantum memory.

SeQUeNCe code and similar codes can be extended to simulate quantum systems other than quantum local area networks, such as distributed quantum computing networks. These simulations of quantum network performance as a function of hardware component characteristics open an avenue for researchers to examine the usefulness of different materials platforms to design circuit elements in the quantum network.

Source: “Entanglement generation in a quantum network with finite quantum memory lifetime,” by Vyacheslav Leonovich Semenenko, Xuedong Hu, Eden Figueroa, and Vasili Perebeinos, AVS Quantum Science (2021). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1116/5.0082239 .

This paper is part of the Quantum Networks: Past, Present and Future Collection, learn more https://publishing.aip.org/publications/journals/special-topics/aqs/quantum-networks-past-present-and-future/ .