Satellite-Based Photonic Quantum Networks Are Small-World

Recent milestone experiments establishing satellite-to-ground quantum communication are paving the way for development of Internet, a network interconnected by channels. Here, we employ theory to study properties photonic networks that can be generated satellite-based and compare them with those their optical-fiber counterpart. We predict satellites generate small-world networks, implying physically distant nodes actually near from perspective. also analyze connectivity show, in particular, they robust against random failures. This positions as most promising technology distribute entanglement across large distances growing size complexity.1 MoreReceived 25 August 2020Accepted 15 December 2020DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PRXQuantum.2.010304Published American Physical Society under terms Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution this work must maintain attribution author(s) published article's title, journal citation, DOI.Published SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasNetwork formation & growthNetwork structureQuantum entanglementQuantum networksQuantum repeatersNetworksQuantum Information