Nontrivial Gap Research Articles

Janus monolayers Fe2SSeX2(X = Ga, In, and Tl): Robust nontrivial topology with high Chern-number

Abstract High-performance quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) systems are the crucial materials to explore emerging quantum physics and magnetic topological phenomena. Inspired by layered FeSe materials with excellent superconducting properties, the Janus monolayers Fe2SSeX2 (X = Ga, In, and Tl) are built by the decoration of Ga, In, and Tl atoms in monolayer Fe2SSe. Using the first-principles calculations, the Fe2SSeX2 have stable structures and prefer ferromagnetic (FM) orders, which belong to the Weyl semimetal without spin-orbit coupling (SOC). For the out-of-plane (OOP) magnetic anisotropy, the large nontrivial gaps are opened, and the Fe2SSeX2 are predicted to be large-gap QAH insulators with high Chern-number C = 2, proved by two chiral edge states and Berry curvatures. When the magnetization is flipped, two chiral edge states can be simultaneously changed and C = -2 can be obtained, revealing one fascinating behavior of chiral spin-edge-state locking. It is found that the QAH properties of the Fe2SSeX2 are robust against the strain. Especially, the nontrivial topological quantum states can spontaneously appear for the Fe2SSeGa2 and Fe2SSeIn2, because the easy magnetic axis orientations are adjusted from in-plane to OOP by the biaxial strain. Our studies provide excellent candidate systems to realize the QAH properties with high Chern-number, and advocate more experimental explorations in the combination of superconductivity and topology.

Demonstration of VCR: A Tabular Data Slicing Approach to Understanding Object Detection Model Performance

In this demonstration, we present VCR, an automated slice discovery method (SDM) for object detection models that helps practitioners identify and explain specific scenarios in which their models exhibit systematic errors. VCR leverages the capabilities of vision foundation models to generate segment-level visual concepts that serve as interpretable explanation primitives. By integrating these visual concepts with additional image metadata in a tabular format, VCR uses a scalable frequent itemset mining-based technique to identify common patterns associated with model performance. We will demonstrate VCR's capabilities through three usage scenarios. First, users can explore the automatically extracted visual concepts and their associated labels. Second, users can run slice finding on a large object detection dataset and visually inspect the results to discover systematic errors. Finally, users can iteratively refine their slicing results by providing feedback on the granularity of visual concepts and the quality of the generated labels. These scenarios will illustrate how VCR can aid practitioners in discovering non-trivial gaps in their models' performance, providing actionable insights for model improvement.

First principles prediction of novel quantum topological insulator state in two-dimensional XMg2Bi2 (X=Eu/Yb)

Topological insulator (TIs), a novel quantum state of materials, has a lot of significance in the development of low-power electronic equipments as the conducting edge states display exceptional endurance against back-scattering. The absence of suitable materials with high fabrication feasibility and significant nontrivial bandgap, is now the biggest hurdle in their potential applications in devices. Here, we illustrate using first principles density functional calculations that the quintuplet layers of EuMg2Bi2 and YbMg2Bi2 crystals are potential two-dimensional TIs with a sizeable nontrivial gaps of 72 meV and 147 meV respectively. Dynamical stability of these quintuplet layers of EuMg2Bi2 and YbMg2Bi2 is confirmed by our phonon calculations. The weakly coupled layered structure of parent compounds makes it possible for simple exfoliation from a three-dimensional structure. We observed gapless edge states inside the bulk band gap in both the systems which indicate their TI nature. Further, we observed the anomalous and spin Hall conductivities to be quantized in two dimensional EuMg2Bi2 and YbMg2Bi2 respectively. Our findings predict two viable candidate materials as two dimensional quantum TIs which can be explored by future experimental investigations and possible applications of quantized spin and anomalous Hall conductance in spintronics.

Strain-induced high-Chern-number spin-unlocked edge states in monolayer MnAsO3 with intrinsic quantum anomalous Hall effect

Two-dimensional intrinsic magnetic topological materials that can realize device miniaturization have attracted significant attention recently based on their chiral dissipationless edge states. However, since the experimental observation of quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) is still limited by low temperature, high operating temperature and large nontrivial gap are urgently needed. Here, monolayer MnAsO3 is predicted to be a room-temperature intrinsic magnetic topological material with high Chern number C = 3 based on first-principles calculations, which offers the possibility of achieving high-speed and low-energy-consumption electron transport in the future. Furthermore, the large and experimental feasible nontrivial gap up to 79.09 meV is obtained under compressive strain modulation. Moreover, the high-Chern-number topological phase transition and strain-induced spin-unlocked edge states are observed, indicating the possibility of tuning the electron transport of QAHE. All these findings suggest that monolayer MnAsO3 is a suitable and promising material for fabricating low-energy-consumption spintronics devices.

Multi-level chiral edge states in Janus M2XS2Se2 (M = V, Ti; X = W, Mo) monolayers with high Curie temperature and sizable nontrivial topological gaps.

Quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) insulators with dissipation-less chiral edge channels provide ideal platforms for the exploration of topological materials and low-power spintronic devices. However, the ultralow operation temperature and small nontrivial gaps are the bottlenecks for QAH insulators towards future applications. Here, a new family of QAH insulators, that is, Janus M2XS2Se2 (M = V, Ti; X = W, Mo) monolayers, are proposed to be ferromagnets with large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) and high Curie temperature above room temperature. Moreover, the present M2XS2Se2 monolayers hold sizable nontrivial topological gaps, resulting in the 1st chiral edge state with Chern number C = -1. Unexpectedly, there also exists an occupied 2nd chiral edge state below the Fermi level. Although all M2XS2Se2 monolayers retain their PMA characteristics on application of biaxial strain, various topological phase transitions are present. The V2WS2Se2 monolayer preserves the QAH state regardless of strain, while the V2MoS2Se2 and Ti2WS2Se2 monolayers transform from QAH states to metallic states under tensile strains. The present M2XS2Se2 monolayers show competitive advantages among the reported materials for the development of topological electronic devices.

Higher-Order Topological Peierls Insulator in a Two-Dimensional Atom-Cavity System.

In this work, we investigate a two-dimensional system of ultracold bosonic atoms inside an optical cavity, and show how photon-mediated interactions give rise to a plaquette-ordered bond pattern in the atomic ground state. The latter corresponds to a 2D Peierls transition, generalizing the spontaneous bond dimerization driven by phonon-electron interactions in the 1D Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model. Here the bosonic nature of the atoms plays a crucial role to generate the phase, as similar generalizations with fermionic matter do not lead to a plaquette structure. Similar to the SSH model, we show how this pattern opens a nontrivial topological gap in 2D, resulting in a higher-order topological phase hosting corner states, that we characterize by means of a many-body topological invariant and through its entanglement structure. Finally, we demonstrate how this higher-order topological Peierls insulator can be readily prepared in atomic experiments through adiabatic protocols. Our work thus shows how atomic quantum simulators can be harnessed to investigate novel strongly correlated topological phenomena beyond those observed in natural materials.

Anomalous non-Hermitian skin effect: topological inequivalence of skin modes versus point gap

It has long been believed that skin modes are equivalent to the nontrivial point gap. However, we find that this concomitance can be broken, in that skin modes can be absent or present when the point gap is nontrivial or trivial, respectively, named anomalous non-Hermitian skin effect. This anomalous phenomenon arises whenever unidirectional hopping amplitudes emerge among subsystems, where sub-chains have decoupling-like behaviors and contribute only to the energy levels without particle occupation. The occurrence of anomalous non-Hermitian skin effect is accompanied by changes in open boundary eigenvalues, whose structure exhibits multifold exceptional points and can not be recovered by continuum bands. Moreover, an experimental setup is proposed to simulate this effect. Our results reveal the topologically inequivalence of skin modes and point gap. This effect not only provides a deeper understanding of non-Bloch theory and critical phenomena, but may inspire applications, such as in sensor field.

Formation of well-ordered surfaces of Bi2-xSbxTe3-ySey topological insulators using wet chemical treatment

The surface preparation of topological insulators (TIs) is a critical task in order to realize their efficient applications. A chemical treatment in an anhydrous solution of hydrogen chloride in isopropanol (HCl-iPA) and a subsequent annealing at relatively low temperature in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) was successfully used for the surface preparation of bulk 3D (0001) TIs Bi2Te3, Sb2Te3, Bi2Se3 and an MBE - grown Bi2-xSbxTe3-ySey (BSTS) thin films. The surface treatment showed a significant modification of the initial TI surfaces, which was free from the structural disorder, oxidation and chemical impurities determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and low-energy electron diffraction. The insulating nontrivial bulk gap and well resolved gapless surface states with a linear dispersion of a massless Dirac cone were observed by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES). In the BSTS film, the Fermi level is located within the bulk band gap. The negative magnetoconductance corresponding to weak antilocalization demonstrated the contribution of the surface states of BSTS, that promise to be protected from backscattering. The surface treatment method proposed in this work is highly efficient for both bulk and thin TI films that can be useful for the deposition of an insulators/metals to fabricate transistor and spin valve systems.

Interrogating dynamic, intersecting inequalities in education amidst armed conflict

This paper examines dynamic, intersecting pathways – marked by gender inequalities, poverty dynamics and conflict trajectories – affecting education access and learning outcomes in conflict-affected contexts. A set of key challenges in intersectional research in conflict-affected contexts are outlined, embedded in the complexity of these contexts, heterogeneity of conflict processes and non-trivial data gaps. To better engage with this complexity, this paper argues that the capability approach extended through a multidisciplinary, intersectional lens drawing on mixed methods data has the potential to offer a strong conceptual basis to understand pathways of impact. The operationalisation of the capability approach in the context of research on conflict can help move the empirical literature towards a sounder focus on intersecting factors that may dynamically constrain the exercise of people’s freedoms. In turn, suggestions for promoting gender-sensitive, inclusive education amidst conflict are discussed.

Emerging Nontrivial Topology in Ultrathin Films of Rare-Earth Pnictides.

Thin films of rare-earth monopnictide (RE-V) semimetals are expected to turn into semiconductors due to quantum confinement effects (QCE), lifting the overlap between electron pockets at Brillouin zone edges (X) and hole pockets at the zone center (Γ). Instead, using LaSb as an example, we find the emergence of the quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulator phase in (001)-oriented films as the thickness is reduced to 7, 5, or 3 monolayers (MLs). This is attributed to a strong QCE on the in-plane electron pockets and the lack of quantum confinement on the out-of-plane pocket projected onto the zone center, resulting in a band inversion. Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) opens a sizable nontrivial gap in the band structure of ultrathin films. Such effect is anticipated to be general in rare-earth monopnictides and may lead to interesting phenomena when coupled with the 4f magnetic moments present in other members of this family of materials.

Realization of high-order topological phase transition in 2D metal-organic frameworks

In two-dimensional (2D) scale, controllable topological phase transition between a conventional topological quantum state and a higher-order one has been a challenge currently. Herein, based on first-principles, we report 2D metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are ideal choice for realizing such topological phase transition. Taking MOF candidate Pd3(C6S6)2 as an example, a semimetallic band structure is present at the equilibrium state. Under moderate compressive strain, it features a nontrivial energy gap and corner states, which is evidenced as a second-order topological insulator (SOTI). In addition, the band order for its low-energy bands switches at moderate tensile strain, during which topological phase transition from SOTI and topological semimetal to double Weyl semimetal (DWSM) happens, accompanied by the change in real Chern number form to . At the critical point for the phase transition, the system can be characterized as a 2D pseudospin-1 fermion. Beside Pd3(C6S6)2, we further identify the ferromagnetic monolayer Fe3(C6S6)2 can also take the DWSM-to-SOTI phase transition, where the topological fermions and corresponding edge/corner states could be fully spin-polarized. This work has for the first time realized topological transition between conventional topological quantum state and a higher-order one in both nonmagnetic and magnetic MOFs.

Antiferromagnetic second-order topology in two-dimensional NiRuCl6

In recent years, 2D second-order topological insulators (SOTIs) have garnered considerable interest because of their unique properties. However, only the FeSe monolayer with four corner states (two occupied and two unoccupied states) near the Fermi level has been reported to be a candidate for 2D intrinsic antiferromagnetic SOTIs in theory. The limited amount of antiferromagnetic SOTIs has hindered future research, and corner states should be at the Fermi level in order to manifest interesting physics. Herein, we propose NiRuCl6 as a candidate for 2D antiferromagnetic SOTIs with corner states strictly at the Fermi level. Without spin–orbit coupling (SOC), NiRuCl6 is an antiferromagnetic half-metal with a compensating magnetic moment and decoupled spin bands. In the spin-up channel, NiRuCl6 hosts a nontrivial gap of 1.11 eV, where zero-dimensional corner states appear. In the spin-down channels, NiRuCl6 hosts metallically behaved bands, where a spin-polarized quadratic Weyl point emerges. With SOC, two spin bands are coupled, and NiRuCl6 becomes an antiferromagnetic SOTI with three degenerate corner states at the Fermi level inside the SOC-induced gap with a value of 0.11 eV. Remarkably, the corner states in NiRuCl6 are resistant to changes in SOC strength and magnetization orientation. We also reveal that the phononic second-order topology and corner vibrational modes appear in the phonon dispersion curves of NiRuCl6. The presented results improve the general understanding of antiferromagnetic SOTIs and contribute to the prediction of materials with ideal corner states at the Fermi level, thereby advancing the field of topological antiferromagnetic spintronics.

Repurposing a Digital Twin-Based Decision Support System as a Training Tool by Incorporating Learning Science Principles

The U.S. Navy has a sophisticated manpower planning process for recruiting, selecting, training, and placing thousands of enlisted Sailors into hundreds of specific jobs every year. Given the large number of “moving parts” in this manpower planning process, some inefficiencies are unavoidable. For example, there may be a non-trivial time gap between when some Sailors complete their job-specific training course and when they arrive at their duty station. During this time, their knowledge and skills will invariably decay due to lack of use. Electronic job aids, such as Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMs) and Decision Support Systems (DSS), are important to mission success because they help to reduce the need for Sailors to memorize rarely used factual details. However, IETMs and DSSs are job aids, not training tools. In this paper, we describe how we repurposed an existing digital twin-based DSS to create a ubiquitous, online training tool. We did so by leveraging the learning science principles of human performance measurement, adaptive learning with scaffolding, performance feedback, and training data analytics. We conclude with a series of best practices and lessons learned that other practitioners could follow when attempting to repurpose electronic job aids that were not originally designed for training.

Polariton vortex Chern insulator [Invited

We propose a vortex Chern insulator, motivated by recent experimental demonstrations on programmable arrangements of cavity polariton vortices by [S. Alyatkin et al., arXiv, ArXiv:2207.01850 (2022)10.48550/arXiv.2207.01850 ] and [J. Wang et al, Natl. Sci. Rev. 10, Nwac096 (2022)10.1093/nsr/nwac096]. In the absence of any external fields, time-reversal symmetry is spontaneously broken through polariton condensation into structured arrangements of localized co-rotating vortices. We characterize the response of the rotating condensate lattice by calculating the spectrum of Bogoliubov elementary excitations and observe the crossing of edge-states, of opposite vorticity, connecting bands with opposite Chern numbers. The emergent topologically nontrivial energy gap stems from inherent vortex anisotropic polariton-polariton interactions and does not require any spin-orbit coupling, external magnetic fields, or elliptically polarized pump fields.

Magnetic second-order topological physics in two-dimensional NiZrI6

Two-dimensional (2D) nonmagnetic second-order topological insulators (SOTIs) have been exhaustively studied, whereas 2D magnetic SOTIs have received little attention from researchers. In this work, we have demonstrated using first-principles calculations that the 2D NiZrI6 monolayer is a 2D magnetic SOTI with a ferromagnetic ground state. Two spin channels in the 2D NiZrI6 monolayer exhibit nontrivial gaps. According to the higher-order bulk-boundary correspondence, the 2D NiZrI6 monolayer shows topologically protected corner states with quantized fractional charge (e/3) that are spin-polarized and pinned at the sample's corners in real space. In addition, the zero-dimensional corner states of the 2D NiZrI6 monolayer are resistant to spin–orbit coupling (SOC) effects. It is anticipated that 2D NiZrI6 monolayer with magnetic higher-order topology will contribute to topo-spintronics advancement.

Towards the Links of Cryptanalytic Methods on MPC/FHE/ZK-Friendly Symmetric-Key Primitives

Symmetric-key primitives designed over the prime field Fp with odd characteristics, rather than the traditional Fn2 , are becoming the most popular choice for MPC/FHE/ZK-protocols for better efficiencies. However, the security of Fp is less understood as there are highly nontrivial gaps when extending the cryptanalysis tools and experiences built on Fn2 in the past few decades to Fp.At CRYPTO 2015, Sun et al. established the links among impossible differential, zero-correlation linear, and integral cryptanalysis over Fn2 from the perspective of distinguishers. In this paper, following the definition of linear correlations over Fp by Baignères, Stern and Vaudenay at SAC 2007, we successfully establish comprehensive links over Fp, by reproducing the proofs and offering alternatives when necessary. Interesting and important differences between Fp and Fn2 are observed.- Zero-correlation linear hulls can not lead to integral distinguishers for some cases over Fp, while this is always possible over Fn2proven by Sun et al..- When the newly established links are applied to GMiMC, its impossible differential, zero-correlation linear hull and integral distinguishers can be increased by up to 3 rounds for most of the cases, and even to an arbitrary number of rounds for some special and limited cases, which only appeared in Fp. It should be noted that all these distinguishers do not invalidate GMiMC’s security claims.The development of the theories over Fp behind these links, and properties identified (be it similar or different) will bring clearer and easier understanding of security of primitives in this emerging Fp field, which we believe will provide useful guides for future cryptanalysis and design.

Topological Spin Excitations in Non-Hermitian Spin Chains with a Generalized Kernel Polynomial Algorithm.

Spectral functions of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians can reveal the existence of topologically nontrivial line gaps and the associated topological edge modes. However, the computation of spectral functions in a non-Hermitian many-body system remains an open challenge. Here, we put forward a numerical approach to compute spectral functions of a non-Hermitian many-body Hamiltonian based on the kernel polynomial method and the matrix-product state formalism. We show that the local spectral functions computed with our algorithm reveal topological spin excitations in a non-Hermitian spin model, faithfully reflecting the nontrivial line gap topology in a many-body model. We further show that the algorithm works in the presence of the non-Hermitian skin effect. Our method offers an efficient way to compute local spectral functions in non-Hermitian many-body systems with tensor networks, allowing us to characterize line gap topology in non-Hermitian quantum many-body models.

A 2D Bismuth-Induced Honeycomb Surface Structure on GaAs(111).

Two-dimensional (2D) topological insulators have fascinating physical properties which are promising for applications within spintronics. In order to realize spintronic devices working at room temperature, materials with a large nontrivial gap are needed. Bismuthene, a 2D layer of Bi atoms in a honeycomb structure, has recently attracted strong attention because of its record-large nontrivial gap, which is due to the strong spin-orbit coupling of Bi and the unusually strong interaction of the Bi atoms with the surface atoms of the substrate underneath. It would be a significant step forward to be able to form 2D materials with properties such as bismuthene on semiconductors such as GaAs, which has a band gap size relevant for electronics and a direct band gap for optical applications. Here, we present the successful formation of a 2D Bi honeycomb structure on GaAs, which fulfills these conditions. Bi atoms have been incorporated into a clean GaAs(111) surface, with As termination, based on Bi deposition under optimized growth conditions. Low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (LT-STM/S) demonstrates a well-ordered large-scale honeycomb structure, consisting of Bi atoms in a √3 × √3 30° reconstruction on GaAs(111). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that the Bi atoms of the honeycomb structure only bond to the underlying As atoms. This is supported by calculations based on density functional theory that confirm the honeycomb structure with a large Bi-As binding energy and predict Bi-induced electronic bands within the GaAs band gap that open up a gap of nontrivial topological nature. STS results support the existence of Bi-induced states within the GaAs band gap. The GaAs:Bi honeycomb layer found here has a similar structure as previously published bismuthene on SiC or on Ag, though with a significantly larger lattice constant and only weak Bi-Bi bonding. It can therefore be considered as an extreme case of bismuthene, which is fundamentally interesting. Furthermore, it has the same exciting electronic properties, opening a large nontrivial gap, which is the requirement for room-temperature spintronic applications, and it is directly integrated in GaAs, a direct band gap semiconductor with a large range of (opto)electronic devices.

Doping- and strain-tuned high Curie temperature half-metallicity and quantum anomalous Hall effect in monolayer NiAl2S4 with non-Dirac and Dirac states

Two-dimensional magnetic materials with tunable electronic and magnetic properties are promising for designing spintronics devices. Here we study, using first-principles calculations, the electronic, magnetic, and topological properties of monolayer ${\mathrm{NiAl}}_{2}{\mathrm{S}}_{4}$. Monolayer ${\mathrm{NiAl}}_{2}{\mathrm{S}}_{4}$ is in the noncollinear ${120}^{0}$-antiferromagnetic $({120}^{0}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{AFM})$ state and is an indirect band gap semiconductor. Although the ${120}^{0}$-AFM state in monolayer ${\mathrm{NiAl}}_{2}{\mathrm{S}}_{4}$ is robust against strain, its magnetic structure can be tuned effectively by carrier doping. Remarkably, monolayer ${\mathrm{NiAl}}_{2}{\mathrm{S}}_{4}$ can be tuned into a high Curie temperature $({T}_{C})$ half-metallic state by hole doping. The ${T}_{C}$ of ferromagnetic monolayer ${\mathrm{NiAl}}_{2}{\mathrm{S}}_{4}$ increases with hole-doping concentration and can be increased up to room temperature. For the hole-doped monolayer ${\mathrm{NiAl}}_{2}{\mathrm{S}}_{4}$ with the half-metallic state, before the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is included, the two spin-up bands around the Fermi level are simultaneously degenerate at the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$ point (dominated by S ${p}_{x}/{p}_{y}$ states) and $\mathrm{K}/{\mathrm{K}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ points (dominated by S ${p}_{z}$ state) with quadratic non-Dirac and linear Dirac band dispersions, respectively. When the SOC is included, topologically nontrivial gaps with Chern number $C=1$ will be opened, respectively, around the non-Dirac $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$ point and Dirac $\mathrm{K}/{\mathrm{K}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ points. More interestingly, the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect with high Chern number $C=2$ can be achieved in the tensile-strained monolayer ${\mathrm{NiAl}}_{2}{\mathrm{S}}_{4}$ with 1.0 hole-doped per unit cell. The obtained high Chern number of $C=2$ results from the constructive coupling effect between the topological nontrivial non-Dirac and Dirac states, which is analyzed through a schematic depiction. Our results show that monolayer ${\mathrm{NiAl}}_{2}{\mathrm{S}}_{4}$ is a promising candidate for the exploration of high ${T}_{C}$ spintronics devices and high Chern number QAH effect.

Physics-Informed Quantum Communication Networks: A Vision Toward the Quantum Internet

Quantum communications is a promising technology that will play a fundamental role in the design of future networks. In fact, significant efforts are being undertaken by both the quantum physics and the classical communications communities on developing new architectures, solutions, and practical implementations of quantum communication networks (QCNs). Although these efforts led to various advances in today's technologies, there still exists a non-trivial gap between the research efforts of the two communities on designing and optimizing the performance of QCNs. For instance, most prior works by the classical communications community ignore important quantum physics-based constraints when designing QCNs. For example, many existing works on entanglement distribution do not account for the decoherence of qubits inside quantum memories and, thus, their designs become impractical since they assume an infinite lifetime of quantum states. In this article, we bring forth a novel analysis of the performance of QCNs in a physics-informed manner, by relying on the quantum physics principles that underly the different components of QCNs. The need for the physics-informed approach is then assessed and its fundamental role in designing practical QCNs is analyzed across various open research areas. Moreover, we identify novel physics-informed performance metrics and controls that enable QCNs to leverage the state-of-theart advancements in quantum technologies to enhance their performance. Finally, we analyze multiple pressing challenges and open research directions in QCNs that must be treated using a physics-informed approach to lead practically viable results. Ultimately, this work attempts to bridge the gap between the classical communications and the quantum physics communities in the area of QCNs to foster the development of the future communication networks toward the quantum Internet.