Experimental Demonstration of Software-Orchestrated Quantum Network Applications over a Campus-Scale Testbed

Abstract

To fulfill their promise, quantum networks must transform from isolated testbeds into scalable infrastructures for distributed quantum applications. In this paper, we present a prototype orchestrator for the Argonne Quantum Network (ArQNet) testbed that leverages design principles of software-defined networking (SDN) to automate typical quantum communication experiments across buildings in the Argonne campus connected over deployed, telecom fiber. Our implementation validates a scalable architecture supporting service-level abstraction of quantum networking tasks, distributed time synchronization, and entanglement verification across remote nodes. We present a prototype service of continuous, stable entanglement distribution between remote sites that ran for 12 hours, which defines a promising path towards scalable quantum networks.