A Dynamic-Kernel/QPacket Executable for Quantum Repeater Chains in Q2NS/ns-3

First executable specialization of beyond-layering protocol logic for entanglement distribution over a linear quantum repeater chain

Adam Pearson; Marcello Caleffi; Angela Sara Cacciapuoti· 2026· DOI 10.48550/arXiv.2608.24152

The core problem

The Quantum Internet operates on entanglement, a non-local, non-copyable, stateful network resource, which motivates protocol organization beyond classical layering. Classical layered architectures assume resources that can be copied, buffered, and independently routed; entanglement violates these assumptions, requiring a fundamentally different protocol organization. The authors present a first executable specialization of the Dynamic Kernel/QPacket logic from the beyond-layering protocol suite, targeting entanglement distribution over a linear quantum repeater chain. The implementation builds on Q2NS, an ns-3-based quantum-network simulation module available through the ns-3 App Store. The study is deliberately scoped to an analytically verifiable service and policy, enabling reproducible, policy-specific evaluation of quantum-native protocol-suite concepts. The central research question concerns how node heterogeneity—specifically pre-distributed entanglement and uneven entanglement-generation support—affects link preparation, signaling load, and QPacket meta-header growth.

Innovation

Simulations verify the analytical link-resolvability models, confirming that the theoretical predictions match the observed behavior in the Q2NS/ns-3 environment. The results expose signaling load, forwarding behavior, and QPacket meta-header growth under the scoped service and policy. Key findings include: - **Signaling load**: The number of QPacket transmissions and meta-header updates increases with the degree of node heterogeneity. Nodes that must delegate via forwarding generate additional signaling compared to nodes that can generate entanglement locally. - **Forwarding behavior**: Delegation via QPacket forwarding occurs when a node lacks entanglement-generation support. The forwarding path length affects both latency and the number of action-commit stamps appended. - **QPacket meta-header growth**: The meta-header grows as action-commit stamps are appended. The growth rate depends on the number of nodes involved in link preparation and the number of actions each node commits. Encoding alone does not determine overhead; policy choices and available network resources play significant roles. The results show that QPacket overhead is shaped by more than just encoding, includ

The Quantum Internet operates on entanglement, a non-local, non-copyable, stateful network resource, which motivates protocol organization beyond classical layering. Classical layered architectures assume resources that can be copied, buffered, and independently routed; entanglement violates these assumptions, requiring a fundamentally different protocol organization. The authors present a first executable specialization of the Dynamic Kernel/QPacket logic from the beyond-layering protocol suite, targeting entanglement distribution over a linear quantum repeater chain. The implementation builds on Q2NS, an ns-3-based quantum-network simulation module available through the ns-3 App Store. The study is deliberately scoped to an analytically verifiable service and policy, enabling reproducible, policy-specific evaluation of quantum-native protocol-suite concepts. The central research question concerns how node heterogeneity—specifically pre-distributed entanglement and uneven entanglement-generation support—affects link preparation, signaling load, and QPacket meta-header growth.

The implementation realizes QPacket meta-headers with service intent and append-only action-commit stamps processed by node-local Dynamic Kernels organized as a Planner--Executor--Engine pipeline. This pipeline structure separates planning (determining required actions), execution (performing local operations), and engine-level processing (managing state and resource interactions). The system is built on Q2NS, an ns-3-based quantum-network simulation module available through the ns-3 App Store, providing a reproducible simulation substrate.

Why it matters

The study demonstrates how the Q2NS/ns-3 substrate can support reproducible, policy-specific evaluation of quantum-native protocol-suite concepts. The Dynamic Kernel/QPacket logic, organized as a Planner--Executor--Engine pipeline, provides a structured way to handle entanglement distribution beyond classical layering. The findings highlight that QPacket overhead is not solely an encoding concern; it is influenced by policy decisions and the availability of network resources. This has implications for the design of quantum repeater chains: policies that minimize signaling may increase reliance on pre-distributed entanglement, while policies that maximize local generation may increase forwarding and meta-header growth. The scoped service and policy are analytically verifiable, which strengthens the credibility of the simulation results. However, the scope is limited to a linear quantum repeater chain and a specific link-preparation policy. Future work could extend the implementation to more complex topologies and additional services, as well as explore other policies for node heterogeneity. The append-only action-commit stamps in QPacket meta-headers provide a mechanism for tracking actions and ensuring accountability, but they also contribute to overhead. The trade-off between accountability and overhead is a key consideration for protocol design. Overall, this study provides a first executable specialization of the Dynamic Kernel/QPacket logic and demonstrates the value of the Q2NS/ns-3 substrate for evaluating quantum-native protocol-suite concepts. The results underscore the importance of considering policy and resource availability when assessing protocol overhead. The architecture can be summarized as follows: This pipeline enables node-local processing of QPacket meta-headers while supporting delegation and forwarding across the repeater chain.

Who should read this

CS practitioners and researchers

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