Characterizing the Impact of Polarization Drift on Entanglement Distribution in Metropolitan-Scale Quantum Channels*

Multiple entanglement-based quantum networks are being deployed in metropolitan areas to serve as a testbed for emerging quantum computing, communication, sensing, and networking technologies. As the scale of a quantum network begins to increase, the complexity and cost to expand and maintain the quality of the network increases. We will discuss how we are using discrete event simulation as a cost-effective development tool for network characterization, protocols, and optimization. In particular, we present our work on characterizing the impact of polarization drift caused by the birefringence of the optical fiber on entanglement distribution in a metropolitan-scale quantum network.