Granted Patent B2

US 12,443,874 · App. 17/548,418 · Granted Oct 14, 2025

Inventors: Mihir Keshav Bhaskar (Cambridge, MA); Bartholomeus Johannes Machielse (Somerville, MA); David Sarkis Levonian (Cambridge, MA); Antia Lamas Linares (Austin, TX); Oskar Jon Painter (Sierra Madre, CA)

Assignee: IONQ INC.

G06N10/80G06N10/60H04L9/0855

Abstract

Claims (91)

1. A system comprising:

a quantum device included in a service provider network, the quantum device configured to receive or generate photons in a superposition state;

a network interface configured to connect the quantum device of the service provider network, via one or more of a plurality of network links, to one or more of a plurality of intermediate nodes;

the plurality of intermediate nodes, wherein:

respective ones of the intermediate nodes are configured to generate a photon in a superposition state or receive a photon in a superposition state; and

the plurality of intermediate nodes comprises a quantum repeater, wherein the quantum repeater comprises quantum memories, and is configured to:

issue, via a quantum non-destruction measuring device of the quantum repeater, a first heralding signal that announces a reception of a first photon in a superposition state to a first one of the quantum memories that enables a first qubit;

issue, via the quantum non-destruction measuring device, a second heralding signal that announces a reception of a second photon in a superposition state to a second one of the quantum memories that enables a second qubit; and

responsive to the issuance of the second heralding signal, cause joint measurements to be performed to extend quantum entanglement, wherein:

the joint measurements determine a correlation relationship between the first and second photons via a measurement of how the first photon changed when combined with the first qubit and how the second photon changed when combined with the second qubit; and

the joint measurements are performed without collapsing the superposition states of the first and second photons or the first and second qubits; and

one or more computing devices of the service provider network configured to implement a quantum entanglement distribution service configured to:

receive, from a customer, a request for distribution of quantum entanglement to an endpoint of the customer;

determine a path comprising one or more of the plurality of network links and one or more of the plurality of intermediate nodes, wherein the determined one or more network links and the determined one or more intermediate nodes form a network path between the quantum device of the service provider network and the endpoint of the customer; and

cause quantum entanglement to be distributed from the quantum device of the service provider network to the endpoint of the customer, via the network interface and the determined one or more network links and the determined one or more intermediate nodes.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the quantum entanglement distribution service is further configured to:

receive, from the customer, a request for distribution of quantum entanglement between specified endpoints of the customer or of a third party;

determine another path comprising one or more of the plurality of network links and one or more of the plurality of intermediate nodes, wherein the determined one or more network links and the determined one or more intermediate nodes of the other path form a network path between the specified endpoints of the customer or of the third party; and

cause quantum entanglement to be distributed between the specified endpoints of the customer or of the third party, via the determined one or more network links and the determined one or more intermediate nodes of the other path.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the service provider network comprises two or more data centers, and wherein the determined one or more network links and the determined one or more intermediate nodes of the other path that forms the network path between the specified endpoints of the customer or of the third party comprise:

one or more network links between a first one of the specified endpoints and a first data center of the service provider network;

one or more network links between the first data center of the service provider network and a second data center of the service provider network; and

one or more network links between the second data center of the service provider network and a second one of the specified endpoints.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

one or more of the plurality of intermediate nodes are located in a trusted location under control of the service provider network;

one or more other ones of the plurality of intermediate nodes are located in a non-trusted location outside of the control of the service provider network; and

the distributed quantum entanglement provides a security or privacy guarantee that information conveyed via the quantum entanglement is not being monitored or altered at the non-trusted location.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of intermediate nodes comprise:

repeater nodes; and

entangled photon pair source nodes,

wherein the entangled photon pair source nodes are configured to:

provide sets of entangled photons in superposition states to respective ones of the repeater nodes connected to a given photon pair source node via respective ones of the plurality of network links.

6. A method of distributing quantum entanglement to customers of a quantum entanglement distribution service, the method comprising:

receiving, from a customer, a request for distribution of quantum entanglement between a set of endpoints;

determining a path comprising a plurality of network links and a plurality of intermediate nodes between the set of endpoints, wherein the plurality of intermediate nodes comprises a quantum repeater; and

causing quantum entanglement to be distributed between the set of endpoints via the determined plurality of network links and the determined plurality of intermediate nodes, wherein the causing the quantum entanglement to be distributed comprises:

at the quantum repeater,

issuing, via a quantum non-destruction measuring device of the quantum repeater, a first heralding signal that announces a reception of a first photon in a superposition state to a first quantum memory of the quantum repeater that enables a first qubit;

issuing, via the quantum non-destruction measuring device, a second heralding signal that announces a reception of a second photon in a superposition state to a second quantum memory of the quantum repeater that enables a second qubit; and

responsive to the issuance of the second heralding signal, causing joint measurements to be performed to extend the quantum entanglement along the path, wherein:

the joint measurements determine a correlation relationship between the first and second photons via a measurement of how the first photon changed when combined with the first qubit and how the second photon changed when combined with the second qubit; and the joint measurements are performed without collapsing the superposition states of the first and second photons or the first and second qubits.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of intermediate nodes comprises:

quantum repeaters, each connected to a set of the determined network links and a plurality of other network links, wherein respective ones of the quantum repeaters are configured to form network paths to a plurality of endpoints via respective ones of the network links connected to the respective quantum repeater.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of intermediate nodes further comprise:

entangled particle source nodes configured to:

provide sets of entangled particles in superposition states to respective ones of the repeater nodes connected to a given entangled particle pair source node via respective ones of the plurality of network links.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of intermediate nodes comprise:

one or more intermediate nodes located in a trusted location under control of a service provider network that includes the quantum entanglement distribution service;

one or more intermediate nodes located in a non-trusted location outside of the control of the service provider network; and

wherein the distributed quantum entanglement provides a security or privacy guarantee that information conveyed via the quantum entanglement is not being monitored or altered at the non-trusted location.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the set of endpoints to which quantum entanglement is distributed comprise: an endpoint within a service provider network, wherein the entanglement service is included in the service provider network; and

a customer endpoint external to the service provider network.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

providing a quantum secure connection between the customer endpoint external to the service provider network and a resource of the service provider network via the distributed quantum entanglement.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

transmitting data between the customer endpoint and the resource of the service provider network via the quantum secure connection,

wherein the data is transmitted to:

a classical computing resource of the service provider network; or

a quantum computing resource of the service provider network or a quantum hardware provider associated with the service provider network.

13. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

distributing a symmetric encryption key between the set of endpoints via the distributed entanglement, wherein measurements of respective superposition states of respective photons of the distributed entanglement are measured at the endpoints to distribute bits of the symmetric encryption key.

14. The method of claim 6 , wherein said causing quantum entanglement to be distributed between the set of endpoints via the determined plurality of network links and the determined plurality of intermediate nodes further comprises:

storing the first photon in a superposition state received at a repeater node via a first network link of the path; and

storing the second photon in a superposition state received at the repeater node via a second network link of the path.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein said causing quantum entanglement to be distributed between the set of endpoints via the determined plurality of network links and the determined plurality of intermediate nodes, further comprises:

providing, from a first entangled particle pair source node located between an end and another end of the first network link, the first entangled particle to the repeater node and also providing a third entangled particle to another repeater node at the other end of the first network link, wherein the first entangled particle and the third entangled particle are particles of a first pair of entangled particles provided by the first entangled particle pair source node; and

providing, from a second entangled particle pair source node located between an end and another end of the second network link, the second particle to the repeater node and also providing a fourth entangled particle to an additional repeater node at the other end of the second network link, wherein the second entangled particle and the fourth entangled particle are particles of a second pair of entangled particles provided by the second entangled particle pair source node.

16. One or more non-transitory, computer-readable, storage media storing program instructions, that when executed on or across one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

receive, from a customer, a request for distribution of quantum entanglement between a set of endpoints;

determine a path comprising a plurality of network links and a plurality of intermediate nodes between the set of endpoints, wherein the plurality of intermediate nodes comprises a quantum repeater; and

cause quantum entanglement to be distributed between the set of endpoints via the determined plurality of network links and the determined plurality of intermediate nodes, wherein, to cause the quantum entanglement to be distributed, the program instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

at the quantum repeater,

receive, from a quantum non-destruction measuring device of the quantum repeater, a first heralding signal that announces reception of a first photon in a superposition state to a first quantum memory of the quantum repeater that enables a first qubit;

receive, from the quantum non-destruction measuring device, a second heralding signal that announces reception of a second photon in a superposition state to a second quantum memory of the quantum repeater that enables a second qubit; and

responsive to the reception of the second heralding signal, cause joint measurements to be performed to extend the quantum entanglement along the path, wherein:

the joint measurements determine a correlation relationship between the first and second photons via a measurement of how the first photon changed when combined with the first qubit and how the second photon changed when combined with the second qubit; and

the joint measurements are performed without collapsing the superposition states of the first and second photons or the first and second qubits.

17. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 16 , wherein:

the set of endpoints comprise an endpoint at a customer location outside of a service provider network and an endpoint at the service provider network, and

wherein the program instructions, when executed on or across the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

transmit data via a quantum secure connection formed via the distributed entanglement between the customer endpoint and the endpoint of the service provider network.

18. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 16 , wherein:

the set of endpoints comprise an endpoint at a customer location outside of a service provider network and another endpoint at another customer location or a third-party location outside of the service provider network, and

wherein the program instructions, when executed on or across the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

transmit data via a quantum secure connection formed via the distributed entanglement between the customer endpoint and the other endpoint of the customer or third-party.

19. The one or more non-transitory, computer readable storage media of claim 16 , wherein:

respective ones of the intermediate nodes are each connected to an additional plurality of network links, and

to determine the path the program instructions, when executed on or across the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

select respective sets of network links from a larger group of a network links connected to respective ones of the intermediate nodes, wherein the selected set of network links forms a portion of the path between the set of endpoints; and

to form different paths between different endpoints, the program instructions, when executed on or across the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

select different combinations of network links from the larger group of network links connected to a given intermediate node to form the different respective paths between the different respective endpoints.

Assignments (6)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (71)