A Control Protocol for Wide-Area Quantum Links

Published

August 14, 2026

Author(s)

Connor Clayton, Cory Nunn, Wayne McKenzie, Quinn Carmack, Anne Marie Richards, Xiaodi Wu, Bobby Bhattacharjee

Abstract

High-quality, high-rate entanglement generation over quantum links is a requirement for primitives such as quantum teleportation. Here, we define a new optimization framework for maintaining performance in long-distance entanglement distribution based on hardware-level considerations. This framework provides an opportunity to surpass state-of-the-art quantum link performance through software-based techniques, potentially by orders of magnitude over the currently accepted standard practices. We apply our framework to develop a link control protocol and evaluate it using data from a 62km over-air fiber. In the face of significant time-varying noise, our protocol compensates by adaptively tuning hardware-level parameters and using control-theoretic decision processes to apply those adjustments effectively. We employ trace-driven simulations to demonstrate the efficacy of our adaptation scheme, and our results indicate that our link control protocol performs within 85% of an unrealistic "optimal'' deployment operating over a perfectly noiseless system.

Proceedings Title

Proceedings of the ACM on Measurement and Analysis of Computer Systems (POMACS)

Conference Dates

June 7-11, 2027

Conference Location

Atlanta, GA, US

Conference Title

SIGMETRICS 2027

Pub Type

Conferences

Keywords

quantum networks, quantum communication, quantum entanglement, network control

Citation

Clayton, C. , Nunn, C. , McKenzie, W. , Carmack, Q. , Richards, A. , Wu, X. and Bhattacharjee, B. (2026), A Control Protocol for Wide-Area Quantum Links, Proceedings of the ACM on Measurement and Analysis of Computer Systems (POMACS), Atlanta, GA, US (Accessed August 15, 2026)

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