Advanced Control Architectures for Quantum Satellite Temporal-Networking

The use of quantum satellites can be significant paving the way for novel telecommunications network paradigms, making it possible to connect remote regions. Given the rapid development of quantum communication technologies, many studies are focusing on quantum satellites interconnections via Free Space Optic (FSO), especially considering that the adoption of wired alternatives did not achieve significant results, mainly in terms of covering long distances. In this context, the global interconnection of Quantum Computers (QCs) through the so-called Quantum Internet (QI) compels for new communications and computing architectures such as Quantum Cloud (QCloud). To this purpose, the deployment of Satellite Quantum Networks (SQNs) could make easily available innovative services spanning from security to advanced computing, especially by using Software-Defined Networking (SDN) technology, which is considered a significant enabler for the management of SQNs. Moreover, considering the rapid variability of the topology in terms of nodes and links features, the paper proposes a specific Temporal Networks (TNs) optimization strategy embedded in an SDN Controller ecosystem, dynamically optimizing the path durations to achieve the highest entanglement rate, while limiting the disconnections. Performance evaluation in a worst case scenario shows that the proposed framework is able to support distributed applications by exploiting all the connection opportunities.