isQ: Towards a Practical Software Stack for Quantum Programming

Abstract

We introduce isQ, a new software stack for quantum programming in an imperative programming language, also named isQ. The aim of isQ is to make the programmers write quantum programs as conveniently as possible. In particular: 1) The isQ language and its compiler contain many features, including some not well supported by (most) other quantum programming platforms, e.g. classical control flow such as recursion; decomposition of selfdefined unitary gates; and oracle programming and its circuit realization. 2) To make it flexible, an isQ program can be compiled into several kinds of intermediate representation, including OpenQASM 3.0, QIR and QCIS (specially tailored for the superconducting quantum hardware at USTC). 3) Besides interfacing isQ with true superconducting hardware, a QIR simulator is also developed for demonstration and testing of isQ programs.