Efficient quantum multi-hop communication based on Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger states and Bell states

A novel quantum multi-hop communication scheme is proposed based on multi-qubit Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger (GHZ) states and Bell states. We first propose a method where a GHZ state of arbitrary scale is generated efficiently by combining small-scale GHZ states via Bell-state measurements in a distributed manner. Based on this, we present an efficient and economical multi-hop quantum communication protocol. Finally, our scheme is compared with existing quantum multi-hop communication schemes in terms of communication efficiency.