Satellite-based photonic quantum networks are small-world

TL;DR

Satellite-based quantum communication can create small-world networks that are robust and efficient for large-scale quantum internet development, outperforming optical fiber networks in connectivity and resilience.

Contribution

This study applies network theory to satellite quantum networks, revealing their small-world properties and robustness, highlighting their potential for scalable quantum internet infrastructure.

Findings

Satellite networks form small-world structures.

These networks are resilient to random failures.

Satellite quantum communication outperforms optical fibers in connectivity.

Abstract

Recent milestone experiments establishing satellite-to-ground quantum communication are paving the way for the development of the quantum internet, a network interconnected by quantum channels. Here we employ network theory to study the properties of the photonic networks that can be generated by satellite-based quantum communication and compare it with the optical-fiber counterpart. We predict that satellites can generate small-world networks, implying that physically distant nodes are actually near from a network perspective. We also analyse the connectivity properties of the network and show, in particular, that they are robust against random failures. This puts satellite-based quantum communication as the most promising technology to distribute entanglement across large distances in quantum networks of growing size and complexity.