Entanglement Routing in Quantum Networks: A Comprehensive Survey

Published

February 11, 2025

Author(s)

Amar Abane, Michael Cubeddu, Van Sy Mai, Abdella Battou

Abstract

Entanglement routing in near-term quantum networks consists of choosing the optimal sequence of local entanglements to combine through swapping operations to establish end-to-end entanglement between two distant nodes on a quantum network. Similar to traditional routing technologies, a quantum routing protocol uses network information to choose the best paths to satisfy a set of end-to-end entanglement requests. However, in addition to network state information, a quantum routing protocol must also take into account the requested entanglement fidelity, the probabilistic nature of swapping operations, and the short coherence times of bi-partite entangled states when conducting routing and forwarding. In this work, we formally define the entanglement routing problem, and analyze and categorize the main approaches to address it, drawing comparisons to and inspiration from classical network routing strategies where applicable. We draw comparisons between well-studied routing strategies, including reactive, proactive, opportunistic, and virtual routing for quantum networks. Assessment of relevant algorithms, protocol designs, and published studies provide network engineers with guidelines for efficient designs of intermediate-scale quantum networks.

Citation

IEEE Transactions on Quantum Engineering

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1109/TQE.2025.3541123

Local Download

Keywords

quantum networks, entanglement, routing, swapping, optical networks

Citation

Abane, A. , Cubeddu, M. , Mai, V. and Battou, A. (2025), Entanglement Routing in Quantum Networks: A Comprehensive Survey, IEEE Transactions on Quantum Engineering, [online], https://doi.org/10.1109/TQE.2025.3541123, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=958196 (Accessed April 1, 2025)