Existing abstract models of quantum computation make reference to circuit elements, much in contrast to their classical counterparts. Circuits, as a model of computation, substantially limit algorithmic expression and obscure high-level connections between problems and quantum resources. It is argued here that new models are needed to achieve high-level algorithmic expressiveness that allow composable procedural abstractions to manifest, leading to the development of instructions in the sense usually understood in high-level programming languages. Doing so appears essential to the discovery of new quantum algorithms, and deeper understanding of how quantum resources compose into useful patterns, or \emph{quantum motifs}. To achieve this, stronger investment in the intersection between higher-algebra, mathematical physics and quantum science is required to cope with future challenges brought forth by \textit{very large quantum scale integration}.
Existing abstract models of quantum computation make reference to circuit elements, much in contrast to their classical counterparts. Circuits, as a model of computation, substantially limit algorithmic expression and obscure high-level connections between problems and quantum resources. It is argued here that new models are needed to achieve high-level algorithmic expressiveness that allow composable procedural abstractions to manifest, leading to the development of instructions in the sense usually understood in high-level programming languages. Doing so appears essential to the discovery of new quantum algorithms, and deeper understanding of how quantum resources compose into useful patterns, or \emph{quantum motifs}. To achieve this, stronger investment in the intersection between higher-algebra, mathematical physics and quantum science is required to cope with future challenges brought forth by \textit{very large quantum scale integration}.
Quantum computing hardware is advancing at a rapid pace, yet the lack of high-level programming abstractions remains a serious bottleneck in the development of new applications. Widely used frameworks still rely on gate-level circuit descriptions, causing the algorithm's functional intent to become lost in low-level implementation details, and hindering flexibility and reuse. While various high-level quantum programming languages have emerged in recent years - offering a significant step toward higher abstraction - many still lack support for classical-like expression syntax, and native constructs for useful quantum algorithmic idioms. This paper presents Qmod, a high-level quantum programming language designed to capture algorithmic intent in natural terms while delegating implementation decisions to automation. Qmod introduces quantum numeric variables and expressions, including digital fixed-point arithmetic tuned for compact representations and optimal resource usage. Beyond digital encoding, Qmod also supports non-digital expression modes - phase and amplitude encoding - frequently exploited by quantum algorithms to achieve computational advantages. We describe the language's constructs, demonstrate practical usage examples, and outline future work on evaluating Qmod across a broader set of use cases.
Quantum programming languages support the design of quantum applications. However, to create such programs, one needs to understand the fundamental characteristics of quantum computing and quantum information theory. Furthermore, quantum algorithms frequently make use of abstract operations with a hidden low-level realization (e.g., Quantum Fourier Transform). Thus, turning from elementary quantum operations to a higher-level view of quantum circuit design not only reduces the development effort but also lowers the entry barriers for non-quantum computing experts. To this end, this article proposes a modeling language and design framework for quantum circuits. This allows the definition of composite operators to advocate a higher-level quantum algorithm design, together with automated code generation for the circuit execution. To demonstrate the benefits of the proposed approach, coined Composition-based Quantum Circuit Designer , we applied it for realizing the Quantum Counting algorithm and the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm. Our evaluation results show that, compared to an existing state-of-the-art editor, the proposed approach allows for the realization of both quantum algorithms on a high level with a substantially reduced development effort. In particular, the proposed approach shows constant scaling when increasing the size of the investigated quantum circuits and a lower change criticality when evolving existing quantum circuits.
Quantum computing hardware is advancing at a rapid pace, yet the lack of high-level programming abstractions remains a serious bottleneck in the development of new applications. Widely used frameworks still rely on gate-level circuit descriptions, causing the algorithm's functional intent to become lost in low-level implementation details, and hindering flexibility and reuse. While various high-level quantum programming languages have emerged in recent years - offering a significant step toward higher abstraction - many still lack support for classicallike expression syntax, and native constructs for useful quantum algorithmic idioms. This paper presents Qmod, a high-level quantum programming language designed to capture algorithmic intent in natural terms while delegating implementation decisions to automation. Qmod introduces quantum numeric variables and expressions, including digital fixed-point arithmetic tuned for compact representations and optimal resource usage. Beyond digital encoding, Qmod also supports nondigital expression modes phase and amplitude encoding - frequently exploited by quantum algorithms to achieve computational advantages. We describe the language's constructs, demonstrate practical usage examples, and outline future work on evaluating Qmod across a broader set of use cases.
Quantum Computing (QC) has emerged as a field of ever-increasing activity as it promises to revolutionize computation and enable the solution of computational problems that we (realistically) cannot solve with Classical Computing to date. However, existing quantum programming environments mostly require an in-depth understanding of the basic QC building blocks, that is, quantum states, superposition, entanglement and measurement as well as the changing of quantum states using basic quantum gates. The present state of quantum programming reminds us of how Classical Computing was about 70 years ago when computing machines such as the ENIAC required significant effort to program solely using very basic digital building blocks. Over the decades, though, increasingly higher-level abstractions have been created on top of the basic building blocks of Classical Computing and made computation much more accessible and wide-spread. In order to make Quantum Computing more accessible, we argue that Software Engineering for QC needs to embark on a similar journey and create abstractions that shield developers from the basic QC building blocks as much as possible so that they can focus their attention on solving problems and less on how to manipulate quantum states using quantum circuits. Based on our experience of developing a scalable quantum n-queens solver, this paper aims to formulate recommendations for raising the level of abstraction in Quantum Software Engineering.
This position paper argues that the quantum circuit model is not a practical representation of quantum software for three reasons. First, the quantum circuit model is not suitable for semantical reasoning and better mathematical frameworks exist. Second, the abstraction level is too low for programming and too high for pulse-level machine code. Lastly, by ignoring the existence of a target quantum computer on which the quantum software could run, the transformation from software to quantum circuit model makes assumptions that result in inefficient machine code lower in the quantum computing stack. Thus, we conclude that new interfaces between quantum software, compiler, and quantum hardware need to be created such that the abstraction level is both suitable for the software and the hardware.
Abstract Quantum computing offers transformative capabilities by exploiting quantum mechanical principles to solve problems that are intractable for classical systems, particularly in areas like cryptography, optimization, and data analysis. However, most current quantum programming languages operate at a low level, requiring in-depth expertise in quantum mechanics and circuit theory, which presents a barrier to wider adoption. In this work, we introduce Qutes, a high-level quantum programming language that simplifies the development of quantum algorithms while preserving the flexibility needed for advanced applications. Qutes abstracts low-level quantum operations through intuitive syntax and high-level constructs, enabling developers to express complex algorithms without detailed circuit knowledge. Built atop Qiskit, Qutes transpiles seamlessly into executable code, ensuring compatibility with real quantum hardware. We present the architecture, language design, and hybrid classical-quantum integration of Qutes, and demonstrate its use through implementations of canonical quantum algorithms. Our results highlight Qutes’ potential to democratize quantum programming by lowering the entry threshold and accelerating prototyping for researchers and developers alike.