Cascading dynamics in complex quantum networks

Recently, small-scale quantum communication has been realized by transporting entangled photons, rendering potentially feasible quantum networks on large scales. We propose a class of quantum networks comprising quantum repeaters for long-distance information transport and local networks of fibers and switches. As the transmitting capability is limited by the node bandwidth, photon loss can occur through the dynamical process of cascading when the network is under external perturbations. We obtain results that can be used to guide quantum network design to minimize the photon loss. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3598453]