Quantum-Assisted Design of Space-Terrestrial Integrated Networks
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Quantum Physics arXiv:2602.04350 (quant-ph) [Submitted on 4 Feb 2026] Title:Quantum-Assisted Design of Space-Terrestrial Integrated Networks Authors:Chiara Vercellino (1 and 2), Giacomo Vitali (1 and 2), Paolo Viviani (1), Alberto Scionti (1), Olivier Terzo (1), Bartolomeo Montrucchio (2), Pascal Jahan Elahi (3), Ugo Varetto (3) ((1) Fondazione LINKS, (2) Politecnico di Torino, (3) Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre) View a PDF of the paper titled Quantum-Assisted Design of Space-Terrestrial Integrated Networks, by Chiara Vercellino (1 and 2) and 9 other authors View PDF HTML (experimental) Abstract:Achieving ubiquitous global connectivity requires integrating satellite and terrestrial networks, particularly to serve remote and underserved regions. In this work, we investigate the design and optimization of Space-Terrestrial Integrated Networks (STINs) using a hybrid quantum-classical approach. We formalize three key combinatorial optimization problems: the Satellite Selection Problem (SSP), the Gateway Selection Problem (GSP), and the Spectrum Assignment Problem (SAP), each capturing critical aspects of network deployment and operation. Leveraging neutral-atom quantum processors, we map the SSP onto a Maximum Weight Independent Set problem, embedding it onto the Aquila platform and solving it via the Quantum Adiabatic Algorithm (QAA). Postprocessing ensures feasible solutions that guide downstream GSP and SAP optimization. Benchmarking across 165 realistic remote regions shows that QAA solutions closely match classical exact solvers and outperform greedy heuristics, while subsequent GSP and SAP outcomes remain largely robust to differences in initial satellite selection. These results demonstrate that quantum optimization achieves performance broadly comparable to classical approaches for end-to-end STIN design, with rare instances where it can even surpass state-of-the-art solvers. This suggests that, while not yet consistently superior, quantum methods may offer competitive advantages for larger or more complex instances of the underlying combinatorial subproblems. Comments: Subjects: Quantum Physics (quant-ph) Cite as: arXiv:2602.04350 [quant-ph] (or arXiv:2602.04350v1 [quant-ph] for this version) https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2602.04350 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration) Submission history From: Giacomo Vitali [view email] [v1] Wed, 4 Feb 2026 09:18:10 UTC (3,127 KB) Full-text links: Access Paper: View a PDF of the paper titled Quantum-Assisted Design of Space-Terrestrial Integrated Networks, by Chiara Vercellino (1 and 2) and 9 other authorsView PDFHTML (experimental)TeX Source view license Current browse context: quant-ph new | recent | 2026-02 References & Citations INSPIRE HEP NASA ADSGoogle Scholar Semantic Scholar export BibTeX citation Loading... BibTeX formatted citation × loading... Data provided by: Bookmark Bibliographic Tools Bibliographic and Citation Tools Bibliographic Explorer Toggle Bibliographic Explorer (What is the Explorer?) Connected Papers Toggle Connected Papers (What is Connected Papers?) Litmaps Toggle Litmaps (What is Litmaps?) scite.ai Toggle scite Smart Citations (What are Smart Citations?) Code, Data, Media Code, Data and Media Associated with this Article alphaXiv Toggle alphaXiv (What is alphaXiv?) Links to Code Toggle CatalyzeX Code Finder for Papers (What is CatalyzeX?) DagsHub Toggle DagsHub (What is DagsHub?) GotitPub Toggle Gotit.pub (What is GotitPub?) Huggingface Toggle Hugging Face (What is Huggingface?) Links to Code Toggle Papers with Code (What is Papers with Code?) ScienceCast Toggle ScienceCast (What is ScienceCast?) Demos Demos Replicate Toggle Replicate (What is Replicate?) Spaces Toggle Hugging Face Spaces (What is Spaces?) Spaces Toggle TXYZ.AI (What is TXYZ.AI?) Related Papers Recommenders and Search Tools Link to Influence Flower Influence Flower (What are Influence Flowers?) Core recommender toggle CORE Recommender (What is CORE?) Author Venue Institution Topic About arXivLabs arXivLabs: experimental projects with community collaborators arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website. Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them. Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs. Which authors of this paper are endorsers? | Disable MathJax (What is MathJax?)