quAssert: Automatic Generation of Quantum Assertions

TL;DR

This paper introduces quAssert, an automated tool for generating and placing quantum assertions to improve error detection in quantum circuits, reducing manual effort and optimizing coverage.

Contribution

It presents a novel static analysis and sampling-based approach for automatic assertion generation and placement in quantum circuits.

Findings

Successfully detects errors in quantum benchmarks

Uncovers properties like classical states and entanglement

Optimizes assertion placement for coverage and overhead

Abstract

Functional validation is necessary to detect any errors during quantum computation. There are promising avenues to debug quantum circuits using runtime assertions. However, the existing approaches rely on the expertise of the verification engineers to manually design and insert the assertions in suitable locations. In this paper, we propose automated generation and placement of quantum assertions based on static analysis and random sampling of quantum circuits. Specifically, this paper makes two important contributions. We automatically uncover special properties of a quantum circuit, such as purely classical states, superposition states, and entangled states using statistical methods. We also perform automated placement of quantum assertions to maximize the functional coverage as well as minimize the hardware overhead. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the generated assertions in error detection using a suite of quantum benchmarks, including Shor's factoring algorithm and Grover's search algorithm.