A Proactive Connection Setup Mechanism for Large Quantum Networks

Quantum networks use properties of quantum mechanics to transfer of data securely. Quantum entanglement is exploited in quantum networks to transfer information from one network node to another. Two nodes can transfer data using quantum teleportation when they share entangled pairs of qubits. Hence, efficient mechanism to distribute entanglement among quantum network nodes is a necessity. To the best of the knowledge of the authors, proposed entanglement distribution methods are primarily based on current state of network parameters, such as, fidelities, etc. None of them consider historical usage of entangled qubits in transferring data to set up entanglement between nodes. This paper presents a novel way to establish connection between two nodes using history of previous data transfers over quantum links and proactively distribute entanglement among intermediate nodes to speed up connection setup process. Results show, in a quantum network of 20 nodes, the proposed approach reduces connection failure rate from 25% for one connection to 5% for fifty connections.