SeQUeNCe GUI: An Extensible User Interface for Discrete Event Quantum Network Simulations
Alexander Kiefer
TL;DR
The paper addresses the scarcity of usable, extensible tools for prototyping quantum networks in the NISQ era by introducing SeQUeNCe GUI, a web-based interface linked to a Python-based discrete-event quantum network simulator. It presents a modular six-component architecture (Application, Network Management, Entanglement Management, Resource Management, Hardware, and Simulation Kernel) and emphasizes templating and JSON serialization to support flexible, portable network designs. Key contributions include a Cytoscape.js-based network visualization, detailed hardware models (Quantum Memory, Quantum Router, Bell State Measurement, Photon Detector), and integrated features for network manipulation, templating, and JSON-based export of topology, templates, and simulations. Demonstrated on a Chicago metropolitan quantum network topology, the work advances practical experimentation and reproducibility in quantum networking research.
Abstract
With recent advances in the fields of quantum information theory [J. Pablo. Nature 12, 2172 (2021)] and the approach of the Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) [J. Preskill. Quantum 2, 79 (2018)] computing era, it is necessary to provide tools for experimentation and prototyping that are able to keep pace with the rapidly progressing field of quantum computing. SeQUeNCe, an open source simulator of quantum network communication, aims to provide scalability and extensibility for the simulation of quantum networks, from the hardware level to the application and protocol level. In order to improve upon the usability of this software, we implement a graphical user interface which maintains the core principles of SeQUeNCe, scalability and extensibility, while enhancing the software's portability and ease of use. We demonstrate the capabilities of the graphical user interface through the construction of the existing Chicago metropolitan quantum network topology.