Fully heterogeneous prepare-and-measure quantum network for the next stage of quantum internet
The quantum internet promises unparalleled capabilities that are provably impossible with the classical internet. However, current quantum networks are often designed with dedicated systems for specified tasks, which hinders the openness and diversity of future quantum internet. To address these limitations, this work proposes a fully heterogeneous quantum network accompanied with several techniques. Our proposal allows users to access the network using any mainstream systems or even partial systems. The network also enables the execution of multiple distinct quantum tasks and provides opportunities for global optimization and cost-efficient design. A five-node quantum network featuring heterogeneous nodes has been implemented, demonstrating the superiority of our proposal through tasks such as quantum key distribution, quantum digital signature, quantum Byzantine agreement, and quantum conference. Notably, the experiment represents the first demonstration of multi-malicious node quantum Byzantine agreement in a quantum network.
Authors
- Ze-Hao Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4229-9827)
- Guang‐Can Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3771-9185)
- Zheng‐Fu Han (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6849-0574)
- Yao Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6030-9104)
- Fang‐Xiang Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2665-3440)
- De‐Yong He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4183-6950)
- Yuan Fan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6716-7129)
- Feng-Yu Lu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9138-8316)
- Zhen−Qiang Yin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3486-3934)
- Jian Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6979-4510)
- Wei Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1789-789X)
- Shuang Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1822-1613)
- Kaiping Xue (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2095-7523)
Institutions
- University of Science and Technology of China (CN)
- Anhui University (CN)
- Hefei University of Technology (CN)
- Quantum Design (Germany) (DE)
- QuantumCTek (China) (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-12-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-66333-3
- Primary Topic
- Quantum Information and Cryptography
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities