ZBR: Zone-based routing in quantum networks with efficient entanglement distribution

Abstract

The quantum network aims to establish connections among multiple quantum nodes, supporting various innovative applications. Many of these applications necessitate the sharing of entangled pairs among communicating parties. However, the inherent nature of entanglement leads to an exponential decrease as the distance between quantum nodes increases. This phenomenon makes it challenging for entangled pairs shared by quantum nodes to fulfill end-to-end entanglement routing requests, resulting in significant communication loss between these nodes. To tackle this challenge, we proposed Zone-Based Routing (ZBR) for quantum networks, which effectively handles end-to-end entanglement distribution. The core concept of zone-based routing involves creating zones containing source and destination pairs to facilitate effective entanglement distribution within each zone. We introduce Zone-Based Path Selection (ZBPS) and Zone-Based Entanglement Purification (ZBEP) algorithms to implement this approach. The main idea of the ZBPS algorithm is to select a routing path based on the flow capacity of adjacent links. Whereas, the ZBEP algorithm focuses on entanglement fidelity purification of the chosen path. These algorithms collectively maintain entanglement distribution, high fidelity, and throughput in quantum networks. Our simulation results demonstrate a significant improvement in entanglement distribution within quantum networks compared to traditional entanglement distribution routing designs.