Quantum Repeater for W States

Abstract

W states are a valuable resource for various quantum information tasks, and several protocols to generate them have been proposed and implemented. We introduce a quantum repeater protocol to efficiently distribute three-qubit W states over arbitrary distances in a two-dimensional triangular quantum network with polylogarithmic overhead, thereby enabling these applications between remote parties. The repeater protocol combines two ingredients that we establish: probabilistic entanglement swapping with three copies of three-qubit W states to a single long-distance three-qubit W state, and an improved entanglement purification protocol. The latter not only shows a better performance, but also an enlarged purification regime as compared to previous approaches. We show that the repeater protocol allows one to deal with errors resulting from imperfect channels or state preparation, and noisy operations, and we analyze error thresholds, achievable fidelities, and overheads.