Curator's Take
This work addresses a critical gap in quantum network simulation by incorporating realistic optical physics that previous simulators often overlooked. The SeQUeNCe extension now accounts for real-world fiber effects like polarization drift and noise from classical internet traffic sharing the same cables - factors that can dramatically impact quantum key distribution and other protocols in practical deployments. By validating their models against actual experimental data, the researchers have created a powerful tool for predicting how quantum networks will perform in the messy real world rather than idealized laboratory conditions. This physics-informed simulation capability is essential for designing robust quantum communication infrastructure that can handle the challenges of existing fiber networks and mixed classical-quantum traffic.
— Mark Eatherly
Summary
We extend the SeQUeNCe discrete-event simulator with physics-based models for polarization-encoded photonic quantum networks. Our framework integrates Jones-calculus optical components, including an SPDC Bell-state source, wave plates, and polarizing beam splitters, together with a multi-section fiber model capturing polarization mode dispersion, chromatic dispersion, and Raman noise from coexisting classical traffic. We validate the simulator by reproducing experimentally reported spectra, polarization correlations, quantum state tomography, and dispersion- and Raman-induced noise. The resulting platform enables hardware-parameterized prediction of entanglement distribution performance under realistic deployment conditions.