Architecture for a quantum repeater based on Rydberg-atom quantum processors
Yan‐Lei Zhang, Quanlin Jie, Ming Li, Shu-Hao Wu, Zhu-Bo Wang, Xu‐Bo Zou, Pengfei Zhang, Gang Li, Tiancai Zhang, Guang-Can Guo, Chang‐Ling Zou · Physical Review Applied · 2025
Realizing large-scale quantum networks requires the generation of high-fidelity quantum entanglement states between remote quantum nodes, a key resource for quantum communication, distributed computation, and sensing applications. However, entanglement distribution between quantum network nodes is hindered by optical transmission loss and local operation errors. Here, we propose a quantum repeater architecture that synergistically integrates Rydberg-atom quantum processors with optical cavities to overcome these challenges. Our scheme leverages cavity-mediated interactions for efficient remote entanglement generation followed by Rydberg-interaction-based entanglement purification and swapping. Numerical simulations, incorporating realistic experimental parameters, demonstrate the generation of Bell states with 99% fidelity at rates of 1.1 kHz between two nodes in a local-area network (distance $0.1\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{km}$), and can be extended to metropolitan-area ($25\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{km}$) or intercity ($250\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{km}$, with the assistance of frequency converters) networks with a rate of 0.1 kHz. This scalable approach opens up near-term opportunities for exploring quantum network applications and investigating the advantages of distributed quantum information processing.