Design for High-Precision Time-Sensitive Networking: Synchronization for the Quantum Network Control Plane

• Published in: IEEE journal on selected areas in communications Vol. 42; no. 7; pp. 1861 - 1870
• Main Authors: Bush, Stephen F., Iversen, Christopher G., Challener, William A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01-07-2024; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Control plane; Detectors; field-programmable gate array; Logic gates; Network control; network management; Photonics; quantum channels; quantum communication; Quantum entanglement; quantum network architecture; Quantum networks; quantum optics; real-time control; Real-time systems; software-defined network; Synchronization; Time synchronization; time-sensitive network; timing synchronization
• ISSN: 0733-8716; 1558-0008
• DOI: 10.1109/JSAC.2024.3380093

Tight integration between classical and quantum networking requires strict synchronization of events between the classical and quantum portions of the network. Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) as defined by IEEE 802.1Q is limited to accuracy on the order of microseconds due to limitations in time synchronization performance; TSN gate control is thus similarly limited. This work presents a new High-Precision TSN that enables greater accuracy and resolution toward sub-nanosecond TSN gate control and can directly support entanglement distribution, a key component in a software-designed quantum network architecture where classical control can reach deep into the quantum network and directly control time critical operations.