Quantum Simulator

The Quantum Simulator is an educational and experimental tool designed to simulate quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols with realistic noise and error models. Developed by Team Hiesenberg + Quantastic at IISER Bhopal, the simulator offers both a backend simulation engine and a user-friendly interface for interactive exploration.

Project Overview

This project aims to bridge the gap between theoretical QKD concepts and practical implementation by allowing users to:

  • Simulate various QKD protocols under realistic conditions
  • Introduce and visualize noise, loss, and imperfections
  • Explore secure key exchange across network topologies

Features

  • Custom Simulation Engine
    Built from scratch, supporting multiple QKD protocols with adjustable error models and parameters.

  • Interactive UI
    Allows users to:

  • Select the number of nodes in the QKD network
  • Choose network topology (e.g., linear, mesh)
  • Pick cities on the map of India to form nodes

  • Assign QKD protocols to edges (e.g., BB84, B92)

  • Real-Time Visualization
    View key simulation metrics such as:

  • Quantum Bit Error Rate (QBER)
  • Key rate
  • Sender's last sent bits
  • Receiver's last received bits

Use Cases

The simulator can be used for:

  • Demonstrating QKD to students and researchers
  • Exploring protocol performance under realistic conditions
  • Testing the effects of different topologies and parameters

Running Locally

  1. Install Python dependencies (for the backend): pip install flask flask-cors simpy

  2. Start the backend server: python app.py

  3. Install frontend dependencies: npm install

  4. Run the frontend: npm run dev