On-Demand Resource Allocation for a Quantum Network Hub

To effectively support the execution of quantum network applications for multiple sets of user-controlled quantum nodes, a quantum network must efficiently allocate shared resources. We study traffic models for a type of quantum network hub called an entanglement generation switch (EGS), a device that allocates resources to enable entanglement generation between nodes in response to user-generated demand. We propose an on-demand resource allocation algorithm, where a demand is either blocked if no resources are available or else results in immediate resource allocation. We model the EGS as an Erlang loss system, with demands corresponding to sessions whose arrival is modeled as a Poisson process. To reflect the operation of a practical quantum switch, our model captures scenarios where a resource is allocated for batches of entanglement generation attempts, possibly interleaved with calibration periods for the quantum network nodes. Calibration periods are necessary to correct against drifts or jumps in the physical parameters of a quantum node that occur on a timescale that is long compared to the duration of an attempt. We then derive a formula for the demand blocking probability under three different traffic scenarios using analytical methods from applied probability and queueing theory. We prove an insensitivity theorem which guarantees that the probability a demand is blocked only depends upon the mean duration of each entanglement generation attempt and calibration period, and is not sensitive to the underlying distributions of attempt and calibration period duration. We provide numerical results to support our analysis. Our numerical results suggest that there exist parameter regimes where it is beneficial for nodes to relinquish control of EGS resources during their calibration periods. This benefit is quantified by the blocking probability and the total entanglement generated in a fixed period of time. Our work is the first analysis of traffic characteristics at an EGS system and provides a valuable analytic tool for devising performance driven resource allocation algorithms.