Fundamental rate-loss trade-off for the quantum internet

Koji Azuma (), Akihiro Mizutani and Hoi-Kwong Lo
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Koji Azuma: NTT Basic Research Laboratories, NTT Corporation
Akihiro Mizutani: Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University
Hoi-Kwong Lo: Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Control (CQIQC), University of Toronto

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract The quantum internet holds promise for achieving quantum communication—such as quantum teleportation and quantum key distribution (QKD)—freely between any clients all over the globe, as well as for the simulation of the evolution of quantum many-body systems. The most primitive function of the quantum internet is to provide quantum entanglement or a secret key to two points efficiently, by using intermediate nodes connected by optical channels with each other. Here we derive a fundamental rate-loss trade-off for a quantum internet protocol, by generalizing the Takeoka–Guha–Wilde bound to be applicable to any network topology. This trade-off has essentially no scaling gap with the quantum communication efficiencies of protocols known to be indispensable to long-distance quantum communication, such as intercity QKD and quantum repeaters. Our result—putting a practical but general limitation on the quantum internet—enables us to grasp the potential of the future quantum internet.

Date: 2016
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms13523

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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13523

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