The Proportional Fair Scheduler in Wavelength-Multiplexed Quantum Networks

Fuente: arXiv
Enregistré dans:
Détails bibliographiques
Auteurs principaux: Bhambay, Sanidhay, Joshi, Siddarth Koduru, Vasantam, Thirupathaiah, Walton, Neil
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2025
Sujets:
Accès en ligne:
Tags: Ajouter un tag
Pas de tags, Soyez le premier à ajouter un tag!
_version_ 1866908455669858304
author Bhambay, Sanidhay
Joshi, Siddarth Koduru
Vasantam, Thirupathaiah
Walton, Neil
author_facet Bhambay, Sanidhay
Joshi, Siddarth Koduru
Vasantam, Thirupathaiah
Walton, Neil
contents We address the problem of optimal pumping strategies in quantum networks. These networks enable secure communication by distributing entangled photon pairs to user (or node) pairs. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocols, like BBM92, generate secret keys from entangled photons. While secure communication and error correction are essential for any quantum communication channel, resource contention, optimization, and fairness issues are critical for networks. In this article, we analyze the performance of quantum networks, proposing simple distributed algorithms for QKD networks generating secret keys. There are significant advantages of pumping entangled photons in QKD networks, but challenges arise in practical implementations. The underlying channels are inherently time-varying, and thus data rates fluctuate between nodes. Moreover, multiple edges (node pairs) can be pumped simultaneously, albeit at the cost of a reduced secret key rate (SKR). These temporal and spatial constraints yield a complex decision-making problem whose solutions may favor a small set of user pairs to the detriment of overall, long-run network performance. We design adaptive pumping strategies that address these challenges in QKD networks. In particular, we find that a proportional fairness pumping strategy (PF-PS) stands out by dynamically prioritizing users with lower average secret key rates and optimally balancing fairness with throughput. The proposed algorithm is a natural extension to quantum networks of the Proportional Fair Scheduler deployed in 4G LTE and 5G mobile networks. Both theoretical analysis and numerical simulations confirm that PF-PS is optimal for entangled state distribution, and thus, when adapted appropriately, proportional fair pumping is a strong candidate for efficient resource allocation in quantum networks.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_13999
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The Proportional Fair Scheduler in Wavelength-Multiplexed Quantum Networks
Bhambay, Sanidhay
Joshi, Siddarth Koduru
Vasantam, Thirupathaiah
Walton, Neil
Quantum Physics
Networking and Internet Architecture
Performance
We address the problem of optimal pumping strategies in quantum networks. These networks enable secure communication by distributing entangled photon pairs to user (or node) pairs. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocols, like BBM92, generate secret keys from entangled photons. While secure communication and error correction are essential for any quantum communication channel, resource contention, optimization, and fairness issues are critical for networks. In this article, we analyze the performance of quantum networks, proposing simple distributed algorithms for QKD networks generating secret keys. There are significant advantages of pumping entangled photons in QKD networks, but challenges arise in practical implementations. The underlying channels are inherently time-varying, and thus data rates fluctuate between nodes. Moreover, multiple edges (node pairs) can be pumped simultaneously, albeit at the cost of a reduced secret key rate (SKR). These temporal and spatial constraints yield a complex decision-making problem whose solutions may favor a small set of user pairs to the detriment of overall, long-run network performance. We design adaptive pumping strategies that address these challenges in QKD networks. In particular, we find that a proportional fairness pumping strategy (PF-PS) stands out by dynamically prioritizing users with lower average secret key rates and optimally balancing fairness with throughput. The proposed algorithm is a natural extension to quantum networks of the Proportional Fair Scheduler deployed in 4G LTE and 5G mobile networks. Both theoretical analysis and numerical simulations confirm that PF-PS is optimal for entangled state distribution, and thus, when adapted appropriately, proportional fair pumping is a strong candidate for efficient resource allocation in quantum networks.
title The Proportional Fair Scheduler in Wavelength-Multiplexed Quantum Networks
topic Quantum Physics
Networking and Internet Architecture
Performance
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.13999