The Classical Capacity of Quantum Jackson Networks with Waiting Time-Dependent Erasures

Abstract: We study the fundamental limits of classical communication using quantum states that decohere as they traverse through a network of queues. We consider a network of Markovian queues, known as a Jackson network, with a single source or multiple sources and a single destination. Qubits are communicated through this network with inevitable buffering at intermediate nodes. We model each node as a `queue-channel,' wherein as the qubits wait in buffer, they continue to interact with the environment and suffer a waiting time-dependent noise. Focusing on erasures, we first obtain explicit classical capacity expressions for simple topologies such as tandem queue-channel and parallel queue-channel. Using these as building blocks, we characterize the classical capacity of a general quantum Jackson network with waiting time-dependent erasures. Throughout, we study two types of quantum networks, namely, (i) Repeater-assisted and (ii) Repeater-less. We also obtain optimal pumping rates and routing probabilities to maximize capacity in simple topologies. More broadly, our work quantifies the impact of delay-induced decoherence on the fundamental limits of classical communication over quantum networks.