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arXiv:2008.08042 · IEEE International Conference on Quantum Computing and Engineering (QCE)

Just Another Quantum Assembly Language (Jaqal)

Benjamin Morrison, Andrew J. Landahl, Daniel Lobser, Kenneth Rudinger, Antonio Russo, Jay Wesley Van Der Wall, Peter Maunz

Published Oct 1, 2020• 19 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The Quantum Scientific Computing Open User Testbed (QSCOUT) is a trapped-ion quantum computer testbed realized at Sandia National Laboratories on behalf of the Department of Energy's Office of Science and its Advanced Scientific Computing (ASCR) program. Here we describe Jaqal, for Just another quantum assembly language, the programming language we invented to specify programs executed on QSCOUT. Jaqal is useful beyond QSCOUT-it can support mutliple hardware targets because it offloads gate names and their pulse-sequence definitions to external files. We describe the capabilities of the Jaqal language, our approach in designing it, and the reasons for its creation. To learn more about QSCOUT, Jaqal, or JaqalPaq, the metaprogramming Python package we developed for Jaqal, please visit qscout.sandia.gov, gitlab.com/jaqal, or send an e-mail to qscout@sandia.gov.

DOI
10.1109/qce49297.2020.00056

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The Quantum Scientific Computing Open User Testbed (QSCOUT) is a trapped-ion quantum computer testbed realized at Sandia National Laboratories on behalf of the Department of Energy's Office of Science and its Advanced Scientific Computing (ASCR) program. Here we describe Jaqal, for Just another quantum assembly language, the programming language we invented to specify programs executed on QSCOUT. Jaqal is useful beyond QSCOUT-it can support mutliple hardware targets because it offloads gate names and their pulse-sequence definitions to external files. We describe the capabilities of the Jaqal language, our approach in designing it, and the reasons for its creation. To learn more about QSCOUT, Jaqal, or JaqalPaq, the metaprogramming Python package we developed for Jaqal, please visit qscout.sandia.gov, gitlab.com/jaqal, or send an e-mail to qscout@sandia.gov.
QSCOUT is the Quantum Scientific Computing Open User Testbed, a trapped-ion quantum computer testbed realized at Sandia National Laboratories on behalf of the Department of Energy's Office of Science and its Advanced Scientific Computing (ASCR) program.Jaqal, for Just Another Quantum Assembly Language, is the programming language used to specify programs executed on QSCOUT.We describe the capabilities of the Jaqal language, our approach in designing it, and the reasons for its creation.To learn more about QSCOUT and the Jaqal language developed for it, please visit qscout.sandia.goVor send an e-mail to qscout@sandia.go
We present example quantum chemistry programs written with JaqalPaq, a python meta-programming language used to code in Jaqal (Just Another Quantum Assembly Language). These JaqalPaq algorithms are intended to be run on the Quantum Scientific Computing Open User Testbed (QSCOUT) platform at Sandia National Laboratories. Our exemplars use the variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) quantum algorithm to compute the ground state energies of the H2, HeH+, and LiH molecules. Since the exemplars focus on how to program in JaqalPaq, the calculations of the second-quantized Hamiltonians are performed with the PySCF python package, and the mappings of the fermions to qubits are obtained from the OpenFermion python package. Using the emulator functionality of JaqalPaq, we emulate how these exemplars would be executed on an error-free QSCOUT platform and compare the emulated computation of the bond-dissociation curves for these molecules with their exact forms within the relevant basis.
The Quantum Scientific Computing Open User Testbed (QSCOUT) at Sandia National Laboratories is a trapped-ion qubit system designed to evaluate the potential of near-term quantum hardware in scientific computing applications for the U.S. Department of Energy and its Advanced Scientific Computing Research program. Similar to commercially available platforms, it offers quantum hardware that researchers can use to perform quantum algorithms, investigate noise properties unique to quantum systems, and test novel ideas that will be useful for larger and more powerful systems in the future. However, unlike most other quantum computing testbeds, the QSCOUT allows both quantum circuit and low-level pulse control access to study new modes of programming and optimization. The purpose of this article is to provide users and the general community with details of the QSCOUT hardware and its interface, enabling them to take maximum advantage of its capabilities.
One of the many challenges of developing an open user testbed such as QSCOUT is providing an interface that maintains simplicity without compromising expressibility or control. This interface comprises two distinct elements: a quantum assembly language designed for specifying quantum circuits at the gate level, and a low-level counterpart used for describing gates in terms of waveforms that realize specific quantum operations. Jaqal, or "Just another quantum assembly language," is the language used in QSCOUT for gate-level descriptions of quantum circuits. JaqalPaw, or "Jaqal pulses and waveforms," is its pulse-level counterpart. This document concerns the latter, and presents a description of the tools needed for precisely defining the underlying waveforms associated with a gate primitive.
At Sandia National Laboratories, QSCOUT (the Quantum Scientific Computing Open User Testbed) is an ion-trap based quantum computer built for the purpose of allowing users low-level access to quantum hardware. Commands are executed on the hardware using Jaqal (Just Another Quantum Assembly Language), a programming language designed in-house to support the unique capabilities of QSCOUT. In this work, we describe a batching implementation of our custom software that speeds the experimental run-time through the reduction of communication and upload times. Reducing the code upload time during experimental runs improves system performance by mitigating the effects of drift. We demonstrate this implementation through a set of quantum chemistry experiments using a variational quantum eigensolver (VQE). While developed specifically for this testbed, this idea finds application across many similar experimental platforms that seek greater hardware control or reduced overhead.