Verifying Quantum Programs: From Quipper to QPMC

Abstract

In this paper we present a translation from the quantum programming language Quipper to the QPMC model checker, with the main aim of verifying Quipper programs. Quipper is an embedded functional programming language for quantum computation. It is above all a circuit description language, for this reason it uses the vector state formalism and its main purpose is to make circuit implementation easy providing high level operations for circuit manipulation. Quipper provides both an high-level circuit building interface and a simulator. QPMC is a model checker for quantum protocols based on the density matrix formalism. QPMC extends the probabilistic model checker IscasMC allowing to formally verify properties specified in the temporal logic QCTL on Quantum Markov Chains. We implemented and tested our translation on several quantum algorithms, including Grover's quantum search.

Poster: Fuzz Testing of Quantum Program

“…For example, QPMC [6], a model checker for quantum program, is able to take the state space in the classical way by using Quantum Markov Chain, and apply classical model checking on quantum program. In order to verify Quipper quantum programs, a transition is made from quantum language Quipper to the QPMC model checker [7]. Specially, a quantum circuit is transformed into a norm form circuit, then change the norm form circuit in strong norm circuit by opportunely swapping the qubit indexes after the application of a unitary gate.…”