Quantum technologies are expected to revolutionize communication and networking by exploiting properties that have no direct counter-part in the classical world. This will also benefit the quantum counterpart of distributed computing for solving challenging computational tasks. So far, researchers and engineers have devoted their attention mainly to security aspects involving quantum key distribution, and a holistic view on quantum communication is missing. Now that the underlying principles of quantum mechanics are well established and quantum computers are becoming a reality, it is time for a global development of quantum communications and networking.

The Quantum Communication (QC) project aims to advance quantum communications and networking to conceive new approaches and to develop efficient methodologies for fully unleashing the quantum advantages in communications. The analysis and the design of quantum communication systems and networks present several challenges related to the quantum nature of the systems and its interaction with the environment. To overcome these challenges, the project proposes a research roadmap for advancing the knowledge with respect to the state-of-the-art in quantum communications and networking.

The main objective of the QC project is to progress the national knowledge and expertise towards the development of the quantum systems and networks, enabling communications with unprecedent performance even in the presence of quantum noise and decoherence.

This objective is pursued by means of: (i) the design and characterization of a new class of quantum states accounting for impairments in state preparation; (ii) a framework for developing quantum state discrimination techniques; and (iii) the development of quantum error correction techniques for reliable quantum communications as well as novel approaches based on quantum packets. The QC components will be integrated in a proof of concept where the algorithms will be demonstrated by simulation as well as on a quantum computer accessible via cloud.

The QC project will directly contribute to the European and national research strategies for advancing quantum communication by introducing novel communication techniques with error correction, which will also indirectly contribute to the advancement of distributed quantum computers with noisy devices.

The project brings together the complementary expertises in classical and quantum communications at the research units, together with ongoing international collaborations, especially the long-standing collaborations that the PIs, Andrea Conti and Marco Chiani , have with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.