A Quantum Internet Architecture

TL;DR

This paper proposes a scalable Quantum Internet architecture based on QRNA, enabling efficient entanglement distribution and network management through recursive naming and connection control, suitable for current and future quantum hardware.

Contribution

It introduces a unifying Quantum Internet architecture utilizing QRNA and RuleSet-based connections, addressing scalability, internetworking, and future hardware integration.

Findings

Supports end-to-end two-party entanglement with minimal hardware

Extends to multi-party entanglement and quantum error correction

Demonstrates robustness and extensibility of the architecture

Abstract

Entangled quantum communication is advancing rapidly, with laboratory and metropolitan testbeds under development, but to date there is no unifying Quantum Internet architecture. We propose a Quantum Internet architecture centered around the Quantum Recursive Network Architecture (QRNA), using RuleSet-based connections established using a two-pass connection setup. Scalability and internetworking (for both technological and administrative boundaries) are achieved using recursion in naming and connection control. In the near term, this architecture will support end-to-end, two-party entanglement on minimal hardware, and it will extend smoothly to multi-party entanglement and the use of quantum error correction on advanced hardware in the future. For a network internal gateway protocol, we recommend (but do not require) qDijkstra with seconds per Bell pair as link cost for routing; the external gateway protocol is designed to build recursively. The strength of our architecture is shown by assessing extensibility and demonstrating how robust protocol operation can be confirmed using the RuleSet paradigm.