Quantum networks serve as the means to transmit information, encoded in quantum bits or qubits, between quantum processors that are physically separated. Given the instability of qubits, the design of such networks is challenging, necessitating a careful balance between reliability and efficiency. Typically, quantum networks fall into two categories: those utilize quantum entanglements for quantum teleportation, and those directly transfer quantum message. In this paper, we present SurfaceNet, a quantum network in the second category that employs surface codes as logical qubits for preserving and transferring message. Our approach of using surface codes can fault-tolerantly correct both operational and photon loss errors within the network. We propose a novel one-way quantum communication procedure, designed to better integrate surface codes into our network architecture. We also propose an efficient routing protocol that optimizes resource utilization for our communication procedure. Simulation results demonstrate that SurfaceNet significantly enhances the overall communication fidelity.

翻译：量子网络是在物理分离的量子处理器之间传输编码于量子比特中的信息的手段。鉴于量子比特的不稳定性，此类网络的设计充满挑战，需要在可靠性与效率之间谨慎权衡。通常，量子网络分为两类：一类利用量子纠缠进行量子隐形传态，另一类直接传输量子信息。本文提出SurfaceNet——属于第二类量子网络，其采用表面码作为逻辑量子比特来存储和传输信息。使用表面码的方法能够容错地纠正网络中的操作误差和光子丢失误差。我们设计了一种新型单向量子通信流程，旨在更好地将表面码集成到网络架构中。同时提出一种高效路由协议，优化该通信流程的资源利用率。仿真结果表明，SurfaceNet能显著提升整体通信保真度。