Qadence: a differentiable interface for digital-analog programs

TL;DR

Qadence is a high-level, differentiable programming interface designed to facilitate the development and execution of digital-analog quantum programs on real quantum hardware, specifically targeting variational algorithms on platforms like Rydberg atom arrays.

Contribution

It introduces Qadence, the first open-source, flexible, and differentiable software platform for digital-analog quantum computing, enabling complex program development and real-device execution.

Findings

Provides a new software tool for DAQC programming

Supports native differentiability for variational algorithms

Focuses on real-device implementation with Rydberg atom arrays

Abstract

Digital-analog quantum computing (DAQC) is an alternative paradigm for universal quantum computation combining digital single-qubit gates with global analog operations acting on a register of interacting qubits. Currently, no available open-source software is tailored to express, differentiate, and execute programs within the DAQC paradigm. In this work, we address this shortfall by presenting Qadence, a high-level programming interface for building complex digital-analog quantum programs developed at Pasqal. Thanks to its flexible interface, native differentiability, and focus on real-device execution, Qadence aims at advancing research on variational quantum algorithms built for native DAQC platforms such as Rydberg atom arrays.