The quantum switch is a vital part for the development of the quantum internet, a global network of quantum computers, sensors, and other devices that will someday send, compute, and receive information encoded in quantum states. The main challenge in realizing entanglement-distribution-based quantum networks as part of the quantum internet is in the reliability of creating quantum entanglement across large distances at high rates. In a new study, researchers from Tepper and the University of Pittsburgh considered a discrete time model for a quantum switch that attempted to generate fresh elementary entanglement with clients in each time step. Their model helps capture the role of entanglement distillation in mitigating the effects of decoherence in a quantum switch in an entanglement distribution network. In so doing, their work adds to the growing literature on quantum switches and provides a foundation for further investigation into a wide range of scenarios.
The mathematical model underlying the analysis is Markov Decision Process theory, a well-known method in Operations Management research. Bringing this expertise to quantum communication research is part of the larger program at the Quantum Technology Group (QTG), founded in 2018 by Sridhar Tayur, professor of operations management at the Tepper School. The goal of the QTG is to explore and advance business applications that can benefit from the second quantum revolution including quantum computing and quantum information science. For more information, visit the QTG website.
The article, Optimal Entanglement Distillation Policies for Quantum Switches, appears in Quantum Networking & Communications Conference and is authored by Kumar, V (University of Pittsburgh), Chandra, NK (University of Pittsburgh), Seshadreesan, KP (University of Pittsburgh), Scheller-Wolf, A (Carnegie Mellon University), and Tayur, S (Carnegie Mellon University).
From CMU Tepper School of Business