
The link layer abstracts the generation of entangled states between two physically separated solid-state qubits into a robust and platform-independent service. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate a link layer protocol for entanglement-based quantum networks. The proposed quantum network stack architecture, along with proposals for resource scheduling and routing techniques (e.g., refs. Finally, in a quantum network, classical communication could also be used to realize controllers like those at the core of software-defined networks (SDN) 25 to distribute information for resource scheduling and quality of service 26.

In addition to classical information used to facilitate entanglement generation, we also expect classical communication at the level of the quantum application itself (e.g., quantum key distribution), which would, for practical reasons, be performed using the classical Internet. We also note that the Quantum Internet and the associated quantum network stack, do not aim to replace the classical Internet-they will likely coexist, as the Quantum Internet cannot operate without classical communication in practice. Very intuitively, such metadata is similar to passing only references to an address in a physical memory up and down the stack (similar to what happens in many implementations of the TCP/IP stack in practice), while in the classical case, data may of course also be copied up and down layers. We emphasize that, of course, no quantum data is passed up and down the layers of the stack, but only qubit metadata. 19 conceptually mirrors the TCP/IP stack in that the link layer ensures reliable (quantum) communication between adjacent nodes, and the network layer extends this service to nodes not directly connected by a physical medium themselves. Specifically, the functional allocation of the stack proposed in ref. These draw inspiration from classical architectures like the TCP/IP stack or the more generic Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. Several network stacks have been proposed for quantum network nodes 19, 20, 21, like the one depicted in Fig. Higher layers can rely on errors being detected by the link layer and are agnostic about whether the underlying link layer protocol is Ethernet or Wi-Fi. In this stack, the link layer enables reliable transmission of data between two network nodes that are directly connected by an unreliable physical medium such as fiber or radio. An example from classical networking is the TCP/IP stack used on the present-day Internet. Moreover, the higher layers need no knowledge of the specific protocol and physical realization that a lower layer uses to realize the specified service.

Each layer in such a stack is characterized by a specific service that it provides to the layers above, reducing complexity for the higher layers, which can subsequently rely on this service.

#STACK THE STATES 2 ON COMPUTER HOW TO#
To scale up such physics experiments to intermediate-scale quantum networks, researchers have been investigating how to enclose the complex nature of quantum entanglement generation into more robust abstractions 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.Ī common way to facilitate the scalability of complex systems is to break down their architecture into a stack of layers. Fundamental primitives for entanglement-based quantum networks have been demonstrated across several physical platforms, including trapped ions 8, 9, neutral atoms 10, 11, diamond color centers 12, 13, 14, 15, and quantum dots 16, 17. Our results mark a clear transition from physics experiments to quantum communication systems, which will enable the development and testing of components of future quantum networks.īy sharing entangled states over large distances, the future Quantum Internet 1, 2 can unlock new possibilities in secure communication 3, distributed and blind quantum computation 4, 5, and metrology 6, 7.
#STACK THE STATES 2 ON COMPUTER FULL#
The system is used to run full state tomography of the delivered entangled states, as well as preparation of a remote qubit state on a server by its client. The link layer abstracts the physical-layer entanglement attempts into a robust, platform-independent entanglement delivery service. Here we experimentally demonstrate, using remote solid-state quantum network nodes, a link layer, and a physical layer protocol for entanglement-based quantum networks. Moreover, the abstraction of tasks and services offered by the quantum network should enable platform-independent applications to be executed without the knowledge of the underlying physical implementation. Scaling current quantum communication demonstrations to a large-scale quantum network will require not only advancements in quantum hardware capabilities, but also robust control of such devices to bridge the gap in user demand.
