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IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering

A Flowchart Language for Quantum Programming

Mingsheng Ying, Yuan Feng

Published Nov 9, 2010• 39 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Several high-level quantum programming languages have been proposed in the previous research. In this paper, we define a low-level flowchart language for quantum programming, which can be used in implementation of high-level quantum languages and in design of quantum compilers. The formal semantics of the flowchart language is given, and the notion of correctness for programs written in this language is introduced. A structured quantum programming theorem is presented, which provides a technique of translating quantum flowchart programs into programs written in a high-level language, namely, a quantum extension of the while-language.

DOI
10.1109/tse.2010.94

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Several high-level quantum programming languages have been proposed in the previous research. In this paper, we define a low-level flowchart language for quantum programming, which can be used in implementation of high-level quantum languages and in design of quantum compilers. The formal semantics of the flowchart language is given, and the notion of correctness for programs written in this language is introduced. A structured quantum programming theorem is presented, which provides a technique of translating quantum flowchart programs into programs written in a high-level language, namely, a quantum extension of the while-language.
The field of quantum programming languages is developing rapidly and there is a surprisingly large literature. Research in this area includes the design of programming languages for quantum computing, the application of established semantic and logical techniques to the foundations of quantum mechanics, and the design of compilers for quantum programming languages. This article justifies the study of quantum programming languages, presents the basics of quantum computing, surveys the literature in quantum programming languages, and indicates directions for future research.
We propose the design of a programming language for quantum computing. Traditionally, quantum algorithms are frequently expressed at the hardware level, for instance in terms of the quantum circuit model or quantum Turing machines. These approaches do not encourage structured programming or abstractions such as data types. In this paper, we describe the syntax and semantics of a simple quantum programming language with high-level features such as loops, recursive procedures, and structured data types. The language is functional in nature, statically typed, free of run-time errors, and has an interesting denotational semantics in terms of complete partial orders of superoperators.
Current quantum programs are mainly designed at the level of quantum gates acting on individual qubits; on a large scale and for complex problems this may involve a high cognitive load on the programmer, making the program specification nontrivial and error-prone. In this context, providing quantum programming with higher abstraction mechanisms will assist in making this task more manageable and robust against design errors. In this work, a conceptual framework is addressed following the notion of the whole quantum computation as a structure composed of quantum registers representing each an undivided entity. Thus, computation progresses through semantically well-defined transformations that act on, or entangle, quantum registers, thereby modifying the global state. Ultimately, the program reaches the desired state by following a specific composition strategy. With this in mind, high-level syntax is presented through an algebraic formalism that bridges them with their low-level semantics. Proposed syntax is based on certain well-know operations used on quantum algorithms that apply phase shifts upon logical condition satisfaction or leverage on parallel evaluation. Based solely on the formalized operations, a quantum satisfiability modulo theories (SMT) solver can be designed. At its core, this work contributes to establishing some methodological principles towards realizing a high-level quantum structured programming.
Quantum computers are hypothetical machines which can perform many calculations simultaneously based on quantum-mechanical principles that allows a single bit to coexist in many states at once. This enormous potential of quantum computing has attracted substantial interest, especially during the last decade, and initiated a whole new field of research. As a contribution to this research we address the problem of the design of high level languages for programming quantum computers, and the definition of an appropriate formal semantics for such languages. To this purpose we consider the Constraint Programming paradigm and we show how computations in this paradigm can be seen as physical processes obeying the laws of quantum mechanics.
Quantum computing leverages the principles of quantum mechanics to perform computations far beyond the capabilities of classical systems, particularly in fields such as cryptography and optimization. However, current quantum programming languages often require low-level implementation, posing significant barriers for many developers due to their steep learning curve and limited abstraction. In response, we introduce Qutes, a high-level quantum programming language designed to simplify quantum algorithm development while maintaining the flexibility required for advanced applications. By abstracting complex quantum operations and allowing intuitive expressions through high-level constructs, Qutes enables users to write efficient quantum programs without extensive knowledge of quantum mechanics or circuit design. Built upon Qiskit, Qutes translates its syntax directly into executable quantum code, facilitating seamless integration with quantum hardware. This paper provides an overview of the language's architecture, core functionalities, and its ability to unify classical and quantum operations within a single framework. Additionally, we demonstrate Qutes' application in key quantum algorithms, showcasing its potential to make quantum programming more accessible and practical for a wider range of developers and researchers.