[2604.09306] SatQNet: Satellite-assisted Quantum Network Entanglement Routing Using Directed Line Graph Neural Networks

Quantum Physics arXiv:2604.09306 (quant-ph) [Submitted on 10 Apr 2026] Title:SatQNet: Satellite-assisted Quantum Network Entanglement Routing Using Directed Line Graph Neural Networks Authors:Tobias Meuser, Jannis Weil, Aninda Lahiri, Marius Paraschiv View a PDF of the paper titled SatQNet: Satellite-assisted Quantum Network Entanglement Routing Using Directed Line Graph Neural Networks, by Tobias Meuser and 3 other authors View PDF Abstract:Quantum networks are expected to become a key enabler for interconnecting quantum devices. In contrast to classical communication networks, however, information transfer in quantum networks is usually restricted to short distances due to physical constraints of entanglement distribution. Satellites can extend entanglement distribution over long distances, but routing in such networks is challenging because satellite motion and stochastic link generation create a highly dynamic quantum topology. Existing routing methods often rely on global topology information that quickly becomes outdated due to delays in the classical control plane, while decentralized methods typically act on incomplete local information. We propose SatQNet, a reinforcement learning approach for entanglement routing in satellite-assisted quantum networks that can be decentralized at runtime. Its key innovation is an edge-centric directed line graph neural network that performs local message passing on directed edge embeddings, enabling it to better capture link prop...