Path Percolation in Quantum Communication Networks

In a quantum communication network, links represent entanglement between qubits located at different nodes. Even if two nodes are not directly linked by shared entanglement, they can still communicate via routing protocols. However, in contrast to classical communication, each quantum communication event removes all participating links along the routed path, disrupting the quantum communication network. Here, we propose a simple model, where randomly selected pairs of nodes communicate through the shortest paths. Each time such a path is used, all participating links are eliminated, leading to a correlated percolation process that we call "path percolation." We study path percolation both numerically and analytically and present the phase diagram of the steady states as a function of the rate at which new links are being added to the network. As a key result, the steady state is found to be independent of the initial network topologies when new links are added randomly between disconnected components. We close by discussing extensions of path percolation and link replenishment, along with their potential applications.