Key device and materials specifications for a repeater enabled quantum internet

Quantum repeaters (QRs) have been proposed as a solution for distributing entangled photons over large distances. The demands that system level performance metrics (data rate, fidelity of entanglement etc.) of a QR enabled link impose upon the hardware components of such a link is an area of great interest and can be used to guide applied materials and device design towards these objectives. This has become more important as the list of candidates for quantum technologies has increased as the physical realization of each qubit or detector technology brings its own set of advantages and disadvantages. We present a framework that uses a modular model of QR and highlights the trade-offs that exist between technological components. The reported values of these components, as present in the literature, are discussed, and accompanying analysis lays out the performance metrics that would be needed for these candidates to find application in a QR. We also present a method that takes advantage of idle repeaters to get a modest improvement in rates.