How do people program quantum computers?

[Remixt]

I've seen a few documentaries over QC and how they use Qbits to program it. But how the hell does that actually work? Does anyone know what it really looks like?

[Hackentosher]

[swordsman247]

I've got no clue but I'm guessing you need multiple degrees just to be able to build the things...let alone program or design them.

[NinjaJc01]

Quantum instruction sets?

[NumLock21]

A bunch of numbers calculating

[kaylexmorgana]

7 minutes ago, Hackentosher said:

it looks like floating gloves?

[AresKrieger]

There are probably less than 100 people in the world who could properly answer your question, this is cutting edge science after all.

[APasz]

Since we can't use traditional high level languages like C++ or Python. So far it's basically just machine level.

Basically you have 3 main levels.

High level, which is all your Python's and Java's of the world.

Assembly, is a symbolic repsentation of machine code and is much closer to the metal per se then High Level Languages.

And finally Machine Code, this is literally the 1's and 0's that the computer understands.

[Remixt]

9 minutes ago, swordsman247 said:

I've got no clue but I'm guessing you need multiple degrees just to be able to build the things...let alone program or design them.

I meant like do they use Binary still or is it something completely different? The documentarys all mention that it can have multiple states at the same time. Does that mean Binary wouldn't work? If something can be on and off at the same time then Binary couldn't be the most optimal way to feed data to the processor right?

[swordsman247]

1 minute ago, Remixt said:

I meant like do they use Binary still or is it something completely different? The documentarys all mention that it can have multiple states at the same time. Does that mean Binary wouldn't work? If something can be on and off at the same time then Binary couldn't be the most optimal way to feed data to the processor right?

I think that the quantum computers use a completely different language which replace, or maybe is a equivalent to, the binary we're used to in our more pedestrian computers and other digital devices.  I think everything has to be custom coded for quantum but binary used to be that way as well...

[APasz]

1 minute ago, Remixt said:

I meant like do they use Binary still or is it something completely different? The documentarys all mention that it can have multiple states at the same time. Does that mean Binary wouldn't work? If something can be on and off at the same time then Binary couldn't be the most optimal way to feed data to the processor right?

In theory you could run traditional binary code on a quantum computer but it'll be REALLY slow.

QBits can be 1 and/or 0 and/or anything in-between but they have be put in that position. The main problem you'll have is interference.

[Guest]

Modern computers work on something called base 2, or Binary (1 or 0). Quantum computers have qbits (1 or 0 or both). I am unsure if this is base 3, but theoretically programming it would be similar to programming any other computer. As far as I know, quantum computers can not run 64 bit and they are limited to their own architectures, so a new compiler would have to be developed. I am sure eventually someone will create a c++ compiler for quantum computers, but for now people are limited to specific programming languages for example QFC and QPL, QML, Quantum lambda calculi and Quipper.

 

I don't know if this is all right, this is just how I think it works, and I would be fine with someone correcting my mistakes.

[Guest]

Just now, APasz said:

In theory you could run traditional binary code on a quantum computer but it'll be REALLY slow.

QBits can be 1 and/or 0 and/or anything in-between but they have be put in that position. The main problem you'll have is interference.

Quantum computers can emulate binary, just like a modern computer can emulate an old console.

[Remixt]

1 minute ago, spidsepttk said:

Modern computers work on something called base 2, or Binary (1 or 0). Quantum computers have qbits (1 or 0 or both). I am unsure if this is base 3, but theoretically programming it would be similar to programming any other computer. As far as I know, quantum computers can not run 64 bit and they are limited to their own architectures, so a new compiler would have to be developed. I am sure eventually someone will create a c++ compiler for quantum computers, but for now people are limited to specific programming languages for example QFC and QPL, QML, Quantum lambda calculi and Quipper.

 

I don't know if this is all right, this is just how I think it works, and I would be fine with someone correcting my mistakes.

Interesting information. Thanks!

 

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, AresKrieger said:

There are probably less than 100 people in the world who could properly answer your question, this is cutting edge science after all.

Not true actually, programming quantum computers is a lot like programming for ordinary computers.

[Guest]

 

2 minutes ago, APasz said:

In theory you could run traditional binary code on a quantum computer but it'll be REALLY slow.

QBits can be 1 and/or 0 and/or anything in-between but they have be put in that position. The main problem you'll have is interference.

But you can't run code built for a 64 bit or 32 bit architecture on it directly without creating a fake system (virtual machine) on it.

[Remixt]

I think LTT should do an as fast as possible on this. Interesting topic imo!

[APasz]

10 minutes ago, spidsepttk said:

Quantum computers can emulate binary, just like a modern computer can emulate an old console.

Your analogy is backwards, modern PC can run code up to 64bit width but a quantum computer cant. You can run 64bit code on a 32, 16 or even 8bit machine but it requires a lot of work for all the conversions and error checking to be done.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, swordsman247 said:

I think that the quantum computers use a completely different language which replace, or maybe is a equivalent to, the binary we're used to in our more pedestrian computers and other digital devices.  I think everything has to be custom coded for quantum but binary used to be that way as well...

Code does not mean anything to a computer until it is compiled. Compiling is turning code into a set of instructions that a computer can run. Forget .exes or other operating system's alternatives, the code will have to be compiled on a machine level, just like an operating system. OSDev is quite an interesting topic, I was thinking of writing a basic guide if enough people would be interested. This website might be worth reading if you are a programmer interested in writing code to be run by an x86 machine: http://wiki.osdev.org/Main_Page

[NinjaJc01]

14 minutes ago, spidsepttk said:

Modern computers work on something called base 2, or Binary (1 or 0). Quantum computers have qbits (1 or 0 or both). I am unsure if this is base 3, but theoretically programming it would be similar to programming any other computer. As far as I know, quantum computers can not run 64 bit and they are limited to their own architectures, so a new compiler would have to be developed. I am sure eventually someone will create a c++ compiler for quantum computers, but for now people are limited to specific programming languages for example QFC and QPL, QML, Quantum lambda calculi and Quipper.

 

I don't know if this is all right, this is just how I think it works, and I would be fine with someone correcting my mistakes.

It's not base 3.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, APasz said:

Your analogy is backwards, modern PC can run code up to 64bit width but a quantum computer can. You can run 64bit code on a 32, 16 or even 8bit machine but it requires a lot of work for all the conversions and error checking to be done.

The code is not 64 bit, the program is. Any code can be compiled for any system, as long as a compiler for those needs exists. As for emulation, anything can work on anything, just like a virtual machine, but there must be a program in between the hardware and the software for it to run. You can not run a 64bit program on 32bit Windows without having software to run the other software.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, NinjaJc01 said:

It's not base 3.

What base is it?

[Nineshadow]

A quantum computer is defined by a mathematical model in the end.

[Hackentosher]

31 minutes ago, 69ing Rainbow Dash said:

it looks like floating gloves?

Magic, hun. 

[NumLock21]

Saw a video on it, where they say quantum computers won't be any faster than your typical home PC when playing games or watching HD movies. It will be much slower.