Large-scale communication networks, such as the internet, rely on routing packets of data through multiple intermediate nodes to transmit information from a sender to a receiver. In this paper, we develop a model of a quantum communication network that routes information simultaneously along multiple paths passing through intermediate stations. We demonstrate that a quantum routing approach can in principle extend the distance over which information can be transmitted reliably. Surprisingly, the benefit of quantum routing also applies to the transmission of classical information: even if the transmitted data is purely classical, delocalising it on multiple routes can enhance the achievable transmission distance. Our findings highlight the potential of a future quantum internet not only for achieving secure quantum communication and distributed quantum computing but also for extending the range of classical data transmission.

翻译：大规模通信网络（如互联网）依赖通过多个中间节点对数据包进行路由，以实现从发送方到接收方的信息传输。本文开发了一种量子通信网络模型，该模型能够沿经过中间站的多条路径同时路由信息。我们证明，量子路由方法原则上可扩展信息可靠传输的距离。令人惊讶的是，量子路由的优势同样适用于经典信息传输：即便传输的数据完全是经典的，将其分散至多条路径也能提升可实现传输距离。我们的发现凸显了未来量子互联网的潜力——不仅可用于实现安全量子通信与分布式量子计算，还能扩展经典数据传输的覆盖范围。