RuleSet Generation Framework for Application Layer Integration in Quantum Internet

TL;DR

This study proposes a framework that defines the necessary information and procedures for executing applications on the Quantum Internet, aiming for seamless integration of the quantum network stack, including the application layer, by building upon the RuleSet-based protocol.

Abstract

Layered architectures for the Quantum Internet have been proposed, inspired by that of the classical Internet, which has demonstrated high maintainability even in large-scale systems. While lower layers in the Quantum Internet, such as entanglement generation and distribution, have been extensively studied, the application layer - responsible for translating user requests into executable quantum-network operations - remains largely unexplored. A significant challenge is translating application-level requests into the concrete instructions executable at lower layers. In this work, we introduce a RuleSet-based framework that explicitly incorporates the application layer into the layered architecture of the Quantum Internet. Our framework builds on a RuleSet-based protocol, clarifying communication procedures, organizing application request information, and introducing new Rules for application execution by embedding application specifications into RuleSets. To evaluate feasibility, we constructed state machines from the generated RuleSets. This approach enables a transparent integration from the application layer down to the physical layer, thereby lowering barriers to deploying new applications on the Quantum Internet.

Figures (16)

• Figure 1: The layered architectures for (a) classical (TCP/IP) and (b) Quantum Internet protocol.
• Figure 2: Classic communication procedure from application request to RuleSets distribution. ① Client sends application request to Server. ② Server creates RuleSets for all nodes involved in the connection. ③ Server distributes RuleSets to other nodes. Q-Repeaters denote Quantum Repeaters, which collectively represent all repeaters on the connection between the client and server as a single node.
• Figure 3: The process for connecting the Application layer and the Transport layer using the RuleSet-based protocol. By following this procedure, transparent integration between the application layer and the lower layers can be achieved. QuISP (Quantum Internet Simulation Package) satoh2022quisp is a large-scale quantum network simulator, which was adopted In this work as a virtual representation of the Quantum Internet.
• Figure 4: Adaptation of the nodes in Fig. \ref{['fig:overview']} to the structure of actual Quantum Internet nodes. Each node has a classical channel and a quantum channel.
• Figure 5: Communication Procedure for Application Preparation. This figure shows the detailed communication procedures between the client, server, and the Quantum Repeaters (Q-Repeaters) until the application preparation is completed.