Over the past 50 years, conventional network routing design has undergone substantial growth, evolving from small networks with static nodes to large systems connecting billions of devices. This progress has been achieved through the separation of concerns principle, which entails integrating network functionalities into a graph or random network design and employing specific network protocols to facilitate diverse communication capabilities. This paper aims to highlight the potential of designing routing techniques for quantum networks, which exhibit unique properties due to quantum mechanics. Quantum routing design requires a substantial deviation from conventional network design protocols since it must account for the unique features of quantum entanglement and information. However, implementing these techniques poses significant challenges, such as decoherence and noise in quantum systems, restricted communication ranges, and highly specialized hardware prerequisites. The paper commences by examining essential research on quantum routing design methods and proceeds to cover fundamental aspects of quantum routing, associated quantum operations, and the steps necessary for building efficient and robust quantum networks. This paper summarizes the present state of quantum routing techniques, including their principles, protocols, and challenges, highlighting potential applications and future directions.

翻译：过去50年间，传统网络路由设计经历了从静态节点小型网络到连接数十亿设备大型系统的实质性发展。这一进步通过关注点分离原则得以实现，该原则将网络功能集成到图结构或随机网络设计中，并采用特定网络协议以支持多样化通信能力。本文旨在揭示量子网络路由技术设计的潜力，此类网络因其量子力学特性而展现出独特性质。量子路由设计需要与传统网络设计协议存在本质性偏离，因其必须考虑量子纠缠与信息的独特特征。然而，实施这些技术面临重大挑战，例如量子系统中的退相干与噪声、受限的通信距离以及高度专业化的硬件要求。本文首先梳理量子路由设计方法的关键研究，继而涵盖量子路由的基础原理、相关量子操作，以及构建高效稳健量子网络的必要步骤。本文总结了量子路由技术的当前发展现状，包括其原理、协议与挑战，并重点阐述了潜在应用与未来发展方向。