6,173 research outputs found
Applying quantitative semantics to higher-order quantum computing
Finding a denotational semantics for higher order quantum computation is a
long-standing problem in the semantics of quantum programming languages. Most
past approaches to this problem fell short in one way or another, either
limiting the language to an unusably small finitary fragment, or giving up
important features of quantum physics such as entanglement. In this paper, we
propose a denotational semantics for a quantum lambda calculus with recursion
and an infinite data type, using constructions from quantitative semantics of
linear logic
Quantum Alternation: Prospects and Problems
We propose a notion of quantum control in a quantum programming language
which permits the superposition of finitely many quantum operations without
performing a measurement. This notion takes the form of a conditional construct
similar to the IF statement in classical programming languages. We show that
adding such a quantum IF statement to the QPL programming language simplifies
the presentation of several quantum algorithms. This motivates the possibility
of extending the denotational semantics of QPL to include this form of quantum
alternation. We give a denotational semantics for this extension of QPL based
on Kraus decompositions rather than on superoperators. Finally, we clarify the
relation between quantum alternation and recursion, and discuss the possibility
of lifting the semantics defined by Kraus operators to the superoperator
semantics defined by Selinger.Comment: In Proceedings QPL 2015, arXiv:1511.0118
Action semantics in retrospect
This paper is a themed account of the action semantics project, which Peter Mosses has led since the 1980s. It explains his motivations for developing action semantics, the inspirations behind its design, and the foundations of action semantics based on unified algebras. It goes on to outline some applications of action semantics to describe real programming languages, and some efforts to implement programming languages using action semantics directed compiler generation. It concludes by outlining more recent developments and reflecting on the success of the action semantics project
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