Q# as a Quantum Algorithmic Language

Abstract

Q# is a standalone domain-specific programming language from Microsoft for writing and running quantum programs. Like most industrial languages, it was designed without a formal specification, which can naturally lead to ambiguity in its interpretation. We aim to provide a formal language definition for Q#, placing the language on a solid mathematical foundation and enabling further evolution of its design and type system. This paper presents λ-Q#, an idealized version of Q# that illustrates how we may view Q# as a quantum Algol (algorithmic language). We show the safety properties enforced by λ-Q#’s type system and present its equational semantics based on a complete algebraic theory by Staton.

Publication
19th International Conference on Quantum Physics and Logic 2022
Robert Rand
Robert Rand
Assistant Professor of Computer Science

My main interest is in applying techniques from programming languages and formal verification to the domain of quantum computation.