Quantum networks
Could a device controlled by a quantum state help connect distant quantum systems? We explore the proposed interactions, the information they might carry and the hardware they would require.
Explore quantum networksWhat if a quantum state could decide where light goes?
Qalice explores quantum mirrors: proposed devices that use a quantum control state to change how light is reflected or transmitted.
Independent research. Open design sources. Physical hardware still to be validated.
Research began November 2023 · Explore the research history ↓
- 1Light source
- 2Proposed interface
- 3Transmitted output
- 4Quantum control
One idea. Two research paths.
We study light at two different scales. Each path has its own questions, models and evidence.
Light in space
How much useful energy reaches a receiver when light travels a long way? Astro studies optical links, conversion losses and future space scenarios using classical engineering models.
Explore light in spaceFrom questions to evidence.
Follow the work from an idea to a test. Every stage makes its assumptions visible.
Research hypothesis
Question — What could be possible?
Can a quantum control state alter an optical interaction in a way that is useful for a network? Qalice investigates the protocol assumptions and the measurements needed to answer that question.
Read the methodsResearch source
Read the actual Qalice whitepaper, its references and limitations.
Quantum-Mirror Network ArchitectureQalice research record · PDFView the source document
The idea, without the jargon.
A quantum mirror is a proposed interaction between a quantum control system and light. The challenge is to describe that interaction precisely and find a way to test it.
- 01
Light is the messenger.
Light can carry information between locations. In the proposed network, an optical signal interacts with a quantum-mirror node.
- 02
The control is quantum.
A control state changes the device’s optical response. The research asks how transmission, reflection and the quantum systems become connected.
- 03
The rest of the system still matters.
Timing, losses, measurement and ordinary communication all affect a protocol. A useful result must account for these practical constraints.
For technical readers: scattering, nodes and protocol boundaries
The July whitepaper defines a quantum mirror through control-state-dependent transmission and reflection. The proposed qMirror Control Layer provides surrounding software and coordination; it is a separate layer of the system.
The logical qTr, qRe and qReTr roles separate preparation, reception, measurement and classical coordination. Qalice has not demonstrated the proposed physical quantum-mirror interfaces.
Read the quantum-mirror protocol paper or open Qalice’s research record.
Turn the whitepaper’s idea into a model.
A control qubit can become correlated with two different optical outputs. Explore an ideal case from the July whitepaper’s conditional-scattering model, then inspect its assumptions.
Two branches. One joint state.
One input contains a coherent light pulse; the other is vacuum. The control’s |0⟩ branch transmits the pulse. Its |1⟩ branch swaps the modes and reverses the coherent amplitude’s sign.
√p |0⟩|α,0⟩ + √(1−p) |1⟩|0,−α⟩
Ideal mathematical state, not a photon animation, physical implementation or reproduction of the full teleportation protocol.- Overlap of the two optical branch states
- 0.3679
- Reduced control-state purity · Tr(ρ²)
- 0.5677
- Control branch weights · transmitting / reflecting
- 50% / 50%
1 means identical optical states; a value near zero means they are easier to distinguish.
For a superposed control, reduced purity falls as it becomes entangled with the light. The complete ideal joint state stays pure. This is not measured decoherence or a fidelity score.
Preparation weights, not probabilities of detecting an individual photon.
Derivation, scope & the next test
Set α = √n and β = 0 in the whitepaper’s two-mode map. The branch overlap is s = ⟨α,0|0,−α⟩ = exp(−n). Tracing over the optical modes gives Tr(ρ²) = p² + (1−p)² + 2p(1−p)|s|². The relative control phase is set to zero; purity is phase-independent.
The model assumes normalized coherent states, a pure control, ideal mode exchange and no loss. It omits finite reflectivity, detector noise, phase drift and dynamics. A next numerical study should include a trace-preserving loss channel, check convergence against a Fock-space calculation, and compare both branch populations and coherence.
Read the dated research addendum · Read the underlying Uria et al. preprint. This analytical slice is separate from the local Bell sampler and the IBM gate-model checks.
Where this work could contribute.
Useful research starts with a real question. These are potential applications and discussion areas, with the next validation step kept in view.
01Quantum networking & telecom
How do light, loss and classical coordination fit together?
Quantum networking & telecom
How do light, loss and classical coordination fit together?
What we can study now
Compare node interfaces, transmission assumptions and link budgets. Give researchers a reproducible starting point for a protocol discussion.
Before an operational claim
Read a public example in the wider field: QphoX: optical quantum interconnects ↗A validated light–matter model, entanglement measurements and an interoperable physical testbed.
02Computing & research laboratories
Can another team reproduce the same experiment?
Computing & research laboratories
Can another team reproduce the same experiment?
What we can study now
Inspect source-controlled circuits, sample a Bell reference and review preliminary control electronics. IBM Quantum can provide a separate gate-model baseline when securely configured.
Before an operational claim
Read a public example in the wider field: IBM Quantum: gate-model execution ↗Backend-specific circuit review and hardware data. A gate result does not validate the proposed optical device.
03Aerospace & mission operations
What actually reaches the far end of an optical link?
Aerospace & mission operations
What actually reaches the far end of an optical link?
What we can study now
Explore classical energy conversion, geometric capture and heat in Astro. Discuss receiver size, aperture and range before proposing a mission.
Before an operational claim
Read a public example in the wider field: NASA/JPL: optical communications ↗Pointing, orbital geometry, availability, component qualification and measured receiver behavior.
04Photonics & scientific instruments
What can we assemble, measure and improve?
Photonics & scientific instruments
What can we assemble, measure and improve?
What we can study now
Review mechanical interfaces, editable mounts, component records and calculation inputs. Identify missing specifications before fabrication.
Before an operational claim
Read a public example in the wider field: Primary research: atom-array optical switching ↗Independent design review, tolerances, alignment, detector electronics and a documented measurement procedure.
Named organizations are independent examples in the wider field, not Qalice customers, partners or endorsers. These application hypotheses are not demonstrated Qalice outcomes.
INSIDE ENGINEERING
Follow a design from source to model.
The first designs tackle practical pieces of a future testbed: a classical control interface and a modular optical mounting assembly.
Open their drawings, inspect the parts and try a calculation. Each project explains what exists, what is assumed and what needs review.
Open Engineering StudioCL-001 and ME-001 are preliminary, unbuilt designs.
A workspace for the next experiment.
Choose a question, inspect the sources and record what the calculation actually establishes.
Start with a baseline.
Run the local Bell circuit or a classical engineering calculation. Set the inputs and read the model boundary before interpreting a result.
Open Quantum Lab ↗Follow the design.
Select CL-001 or ME-001. Inspect the drawings, 3D model and component records, then review source and export files.
Open Engineering Studio ↗Make the next test clear.
Compare assumptions, revision history and validation records. Export a calculation run so a reviewer can trace inputs and outputs.
Review calculations & records ↗For operators: local simulation and optional IBM execution
The local lab needs no account or external API key. IBM integration is separate: a server-side API key, service-instance CRN and region identify the IBM account. Hardware submission additionally requires an explicit server enablement and an operator credential.
The reviewed IBM experiment estimates Z for a one-qubit preparation; it is not the Bell reference or the optical-mirror protocol. Hardware execution is off by default. Quota, access, backend compatibility and costs must be reviewed by the operator before enabling it.
Research beyond Qalice.
Follow the original work, see what it establishes, and understand how it connects to this project. These are independent sources, not Qalice partners or endorsements.
2026 · THEORY PREPRINT
Alice and Bob through a quantum mirror
Uria, Hermann-Avigliano, Solano & Delgado
What the source supports
Proposes quantum-network protocols using qubit-controlled reflection and transmission of coherent optical fields.
Where it meets QaliceThe physical conditional-scattering model used in the July whitepaper. Qalice’s contribution is the surrounding systems architecture and validation workflow.
2023 · EXPERIMENT
An atomic mirror switched by one Rydberg atom
Srakaew et al. · Nature Physics
Open manuscript ↗What the source supports
Demonstrates control of transmission and reflection in a subwavelength atomic array using an ancilla atom.
Where it meets QaliceA relevant physical building block. This does not demonstrate Qalice’s proposed node-pair network or its engineering prototypes.
2026 · THEORY PREPRINT
Quantum mirrors for optical state tomography
Uria, Moya, Hermann-Avigliano, Solano & Delgado
What the source supports
Proposes reconstructing optical-state information through measurements of a quantum mirror’s control system.
Where it meets QaliceMotivates future measurement and benchmarking studies. The current Qalice lab does not implement this tomography protocol.
Space power and resource studies are collected in Astro’s NASA & public research library ↗.
A research program, built over time.
Qalice’s project history and the publication dates of independent studies are different records. Later literature informs revisions of the original program.
Research begins
Start of Qalice’s research program, as reported by its founder. This date does not establish priority for later published quantum-mirror protocols.
Whitepaper revision
The 21-page Quantum-Mirror Network Architecture edition formalizes node roles, physical assumptions, prior art and a staged validation plan.
Read the July edition ↗Models & evidence update
A theory-linked analytical model, inspectable engineering sources and a dated research addendum connect the whitepaper to working software.
Read the research addendum ↗
Try one small piece of the research.
The lab below samples a known two-qubit reference circuit. It helps explain reproducible simulation; it does not reproduce a physical quantum mirror.
Before you run: what the controls actually change
Shot count sets the number of sampled Bell-reference outcomes. Photon and phase controls affect a separate legacy analytical score. That score is a heuristic, not quantum fidelity or a literature protocol implementation.
Runs use a deterministic seed. Optional IBM gate-model execution remains a separate, credential-dependent capability.
Run the gate-model reference.
Start locally. Connect IBM Quantum when hosted credentials are configured.
CircuitBell reference
q0
q1
HMMH Hadamard Control Target
CountsAwaiting run
00011011Heuristic score—
ExecutionSeeded Bell sampling
The independent heuristic score is not quantum fidelity. Photon and phase inputs affect that heuristic; the Bell reference keeps ideal probabilities P(00) = P(11) = 0.5.
Simulator ready
Secure IBM boundaryChecking secure configuration…
IBM superconducting QPUs can validate gate-model subcircuits and noise baselines. They do not natively reproduce coherent optical modes or a physical quantum metasurface; those require a photonic/open-system simulator and, ultimately, laboratory hardware. IBM Runtime API reference ↗
A real account check. A clear experiment boundary.
On 30 October 2026, a read-only check authenticated with IBM, listed the instance’s systems and retrieved an existing completed workload. No new quantum job was submitted for this check.
ACCESS VERIFIED · US-EAST
IBM Quantum Runtime
ibm_fez · ibm_kingston · ibm_marrakesh
Three accessible systems, each reporting 156 computational qubits. Availability and calibration change; these are a dated snapshot.
IBM Runtime API documentation ↗EXISTING WORKLOAD · RETRIEVED SUCCESSFULLY
Completed on ibm_fez
Executor program · two result items · 256 shots per item. The workload was created on 29 October 2026 in US Mountain time.
Successful authentication and result retrieval validate the integration path. They do not establish a physical quantum mirror, optical state transfer or the whitepaper’s teleportation protocol. The hosted public lab’s connection status is reported separately above.
A longer view, grounded in today’s questions.
Astro Qalice asks how optical communications, sensing and possible future power links could fit together. Its tools expose energy and geometry trade-offs before a mission is proposed.
Go deeper at your own pace.
Start with an explanation, inspect the designs, then follow the assumptions back to the research record.
Qalice is an independent research project founded by Keaton R. McCune.
A few important distinctions.
Is this a finished quantum computer or network?
Qalice is a research and engineering development platform. The models and preliminary designs are things you can inspect today. They are not evidence of a deployed quantum network.
What does a successful simulation establish?
It establishes the output of the stated model for the stated inputs. Hardware performance requires a separate experiment, calibration and comparison.
How can engineers evaluate the project?
Start with the source files and validation records in Engineering. Review interfaces, assumptions and open issues before selecting parts, fabricating a board or interpreting a model as measured performance.