Entanglement Throughput Measurements and Capacity Estimates for Aerial-Inground Fiber

Abstract

The throughput of entangled qubit pairs per second (eqps) is a basic performance metric of quantum networks that provide the entanglement distribution capability. Over fiber connections, it is measured using specialized instruments, including photonic entanglement sources and single-photon detectors. Extensive theory has been developed to estimate the capacity of a generic quantum channel, which in turn is applied to estimate the maximum achievable eqps over a fiber connection. However, there is a gap in relating these two performance metrics, in part due to their disparate nature, namely, mathematical formulae of the channel capacity and specialized instrumentation for eqps measurements. We describe eqps measurements collected over testbed connections composed of aerial and inground fiber of lengths up to 45 km. We estimate the normalized capacity using the transmissivity parameter derived from single photon detector measurements. These estimates are then converted to capacity bounds on the connection's eqps using the source eqps rate derived from co-located detector measurements. The results indicate a consistency between eqps measurements and their capacity estimates, and provide insights into relating the parameters of analytic capacity estimates to physical measurements.