With the recent developments in engineering quantum systems, the realization of scalable local-area quantum networks has become viable. However, the design and implementation of a quantum network is a holistic task that is way beyond the scope of an abstract design problem. As such, a testbed on which multiple disciplines can verify the design and implementation across a full networking stack has become a necessary infrastructure for the future development of quantum networks. In this work, we demonstrate the concept of quantum internet service provider (QISP), in analogy to the conventional ISP that allows for the sharing of classical information between the network nodes. The QISP is significant for the next-generation quantum networks as it coordinates the production, management, control, and sharing of quantum information across the end-users of a quantum network. We construct a reconfigurable QISP comprising both the quantum hardware and classical control software. Building on the fiber-based quantum-network testbed of the Center for Quantum Networks (CQN) at the University of Arizona (UA), we develop an integrated QISP prototype based on a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) architecture, whose classical control software is abstracted and modularized as an open-source QISP framework. To verify and characterize the QISP's performance, we demonstrate multi-channel entanglement distribution and routing among multiple quantum-network nodes with a time-energy entangled-photon source. We further perform field tests of concurrent services for multiple users across the quantum-network testbed. Our experiment demonstrates the robust capabilities of the QISP, laying the foundation for the design and verification of architectures and protocols for future quantum networks.

翻译：随着量子系统工程的最新进展，可扩展的局域量子网络的实现已成为可能。然而，量子网络的设计与实施是一项整体性任务，远超抽象设计问题的范畴。因此，一个能够跨多个学科验证全网络协议栈设计与实现的测试平台，已成为量子网络未来发展所必需的基础设施。在本研究中，我们类比于允许网络节点间共享经典信息的传统互联网服务提供商（ISP），提出了量子互联网服务提供商（QISP）的概念。QISP对下一代量子网络具有重要意义，因为它协调了量子网络中端到端用户之间量子信息的生成、管理、控制与共享。我们构建了一个包含量子硬件与经典控制软件的可重构QISP。基于亚利桑那大学（UA）量子网络中心（CQN）的光纤量子网络测试平台，我们开发了一个基于平台即服务（PaaS）架构的集成QISP原型，其经典控制软件被抽象化并模块化为一个开源QISP框架。为了验证并表征QISP的性能，我们利用时间-能量纠缠光子源，在多量子网络节点间展示了多通道纠缠分发与路由。我们进一步在量子网络测试平台上进行了多用户并发服务的现场测试。我们的实验证明了QISP具备稳健的能力，为未来量子网络架构与协议的设计与验证奠定了基础。