The Link Layer service in a Quantum Internet

In a classical network the link layer is responsible for transferring a datagram between two nodes that are connected by a single link, possibly including switches. In a quantum network however, the link layer will need to provide a robust entanglement generation service between two quantum nodes which are connected by a quantum link. This service can be used by higher layers to produce entanglement between distant nodes or to perform other operations such as qubit transmission, without full knowledge of the underlying hardware and its parameters. This draft defines what can be expected from the service provided by a link layer for a Quantum Network and defines an interface between higher layers and the link layer.