Software-defined quantum network switching

Abstract

We present the design and implementation of a software-defined quantum networking protocol and software switch integrated with a numerical quantum channel simulator. Our protocol design leverages recent advances in the OpenFlow protocol that enable software-defined control and management of optical network traffic using side-channel metadata. We implement this design using customization of the open source vSwitch for optical network routing, and we test the implementation using a numerical simulator of the quantum channel alongside actual network traffic. Our results support the integration of quantum communication with existing optical transport methods.