Quantum Augmented Networks (QuANET)

Our project on DARPA’s Quantum Augmented Networks (QuANET) program is called ``QUantum Augmented Secure Resilient networking (QUASR)”. The QUASR team, led by PI Dr. Prithwish Basu of RTX-BBN, along with co-PIs Prof. Guha (UMD), Prof. Towsley (UMass Amherst), Prof. Englund (MIT), Prof. Fan (UT Austin) and Prof. Papen (UCSD), addresses all three technical areas (TAs) of the QuANET program. Our TA1 quantum Network Interface Card (qNIC) generates hybrid classical optical and quantum-entangled continuous-variable (squeezed-light based) optical signals at the physical layer and provides an abstraction and control interface for TA2 (sensing) and TA3 (communications) protocols to run on. For example, it passes results of qNIC functions up the network stack to enable TA2 and TA3 protocols for sensing adversaries messing with a link (physical layer), participates in TA2 protocols for verifying quantum augmented nodes (link layer) or location and path deviations (network layer) and in TA3 protocols for detecting network-level attacks and computing secure paths (network layer). Our TA2 and TA3 approaches will deliver software with appropriate abstraction to be compatible with other QUANET teams’ TA1 quantum hardware approaches. Our qNIC features and implementation details optimized to TA2 and TA3 protocols will facilitate early integration and testing of those protocols, including on the CQN testbeds. Second, while our approaches will be compatible with the more common discrete variable (DV) encoding for quantum communications, all our TAs will exploit various fundamental and practical advantages our team—via research on many prior projects—has shown to be offered by continuous variable (CV) encoding, in terms of: (1) greater-than-1 qubits-per-mode encoding at moderate link loss, enabling higher-rate quantum communications (TA3) and higher-bandwidth location verification using a CV-SWAP test (TA2), and (2) deterministic programmable multi-mode entanglement generation with a simple hardware that can yield quantum-limited sensitivity for quickest detection of network intrusions and timing-accuracy (TA2), and entanglement-enhanced covert communications (TA3) and sensing. These advantages will be fully realized when implemented in concert. In contrast to current networks, QUASR offers an opportunity to design new network hardware and protocols with security considerations baked in from formulation. QUASR will implement a DevSecOps security approach to ensure security of qNIC and protocols and prevent new unexpected vulnerabilities in an optical network.