Toward Complete Quantum Network Stacks: A Survey

As quantum network hardware has made significant progress in recent years, there is an increasing focus on enhancing both the infrastructure and the corresponding software of quantum networks. To establish a comprehensive quantum network, two key stacks are employed: the quantum node stack and the quantum control stack. In this survey, we first clearly distinguish between the quantum network and the quantum internet. Then we provide a comprehensive survey of the state-of-the-art and use cases for quantum network stacks. Regarding the quantum control stack, we categorize it into traditional and programmable approaches. We further explore the current research challenges associated with each method to inspire ongoing investigation.