Automatic Implementation and Evaluation of Error-Correcting Codes for Quantum Computing: An Open-Source Framework for Quantum Error Correction

Abstract

Due to the fragility of quantum mechanical effects, real quantum computers are plagued by frequent noise effects that cause errors during computations. Quantum error-correcting codes address this problem by providing means to identify and correct corresponding errors. However, most of the research on quantum error correction is theoretical or has been evaluated for specific hardware models only. Moreover, the development of corresponding codes and the evaluation of whether they indeed solve the problem for a particular hardware model, still often rests on tedious trial-and-error thus far. In this work, we propose an open-source framework that supports engineers and researchers in these tasks by automatically applying error-correcting codes for a given application followed by an automatic noise-aware quantum circuit simulation. Case studies showcase that this allows for a substantially more efficient implementation and evaluation of error-correcting codes.