Impact of Network Latency on Entanglement Distribution in Quantum Repeaters Network

Inhalt:
Quantum communication has a promising advantage in achieving trustworthy future 6G networks by utilizing quantum mechanics principles such as entanglement and superposition. The development of quantum networks, which can be used for diverse applications, is crucial. One of the main goals of a quantum network is to distribute and deliver entangled qubits to quantum nodes. However, implementing entanglement distribution in quantum networks requires cooperation with classical networks for management and orchestration. In this regard, alongside the development of quantum devices and protocols, it is essential to study and analyze scenarios for integrating quantum network protocols with classical networks. This includes exploring how existing 5G network infrastructure and protocols can be adapted in quantum networks and their performance. This paper investigates a scenario where the 5G networks inter-work with a network of quantum repeaters. The performance of the quantum network is evaluated via simulation based on quantum network metrics like fidelity and entanglement distribution rate. The simulation results show that, as end-toend latency in the 5G-quantum network increases, the network’s fidelity and entanglement distribution rate decrease, because of the quantum decoherence and the non-ideal nature of channels.