Tools for quantum network design

Abstract

Quantum networks will enable the implementation of communication tasks with qualitative advantages with respect to the communication networks we know today. While it is expected that the first demonstrations of small scale quantum networks will take place in the near term, many challenges remain to scale them. To compare different solutions, optimize over parameter space and inform experiments, it is necessary to evaluate the performance of concrete quantum network scenarios. Here, we review the state of the art of tools for evaluating the performance of quantum networks. We present them from three different angles: information-theoretic benchmarks, analytical tools, and simulation. CONTENTS 12 1. Bipartite communication 12 2. Multi-pair communication 12 3. Multipartite communication 13 E. Beyond classical routing in quantum communication networks 13 1. Quantum network coding 13 2. Graph state protocols 14 3. Coherent control 15 III. Waiting times and fidelity estimation over abstract quantum networks 15 A. Abstract models of quantum networks 15 B. Analytical study of the waiting time and fidelity 16 1. The mean-only approach 17