Volume 3 Issue 4, April 2007
Percolation theory has taught us how to transmit information efficiently through a network of connected nodes. But is the same concept helpful for quantum information, where the task is to distribute entanglement through a network? Yes and no, say Antonio Acín and colleagues. They show that the design of quantum networks can be related to problems studied in 'classical' percolation theory, but they also present examples for which classical strategies fail to yield optimal results, calling for an approach that exploits explicitly the quantum nature of the networks. Acín et al. also argue that the distribution of entanglement through quantum networks defi nes a novel type of critical phenomenon, and that understanding — and using — the associated phase transitions could enable quantum communication over longer distances than had been thought possible. (Artwork by Beata Wehr)
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