Unveiling Code Clones in Quantum Programming: An Empirical Study with Qiskit

TL;DR

This study investigates the prevalence and characteristics of code clones in quantum programs developed with Qiskit, revealing high clone density and emphasizing the need for specialized detection tools in quantum software development.

Contribution

It provides the first empirical analysis of code clones in quantum programming, highlighting their types, distribution, and implications for software quality.

Findings

High density of Type-2 and Type-3 clones in quantum code

Clones are more frequent due to quantum algorithm complexity

Need for quantum-specific clone detection tools

Abstract

Code clones, referring to identical or similar code fragments, have long posed challenges in classical programming, impacting software quality, maintainability, and scalability. However, their presence and characteristics in quantum programming remain unexplored. This paper presents an empirical study of code clones in quantum programs, specifically focusing on software developed using the Qiskit framework. We examine the existence, distribution, density, and size of code clones in quantum software, revealing a high density of Type-2 and Type-3 clones involving minor modifications. Our findings suggest that these clones are more frequent in quantum software, likely due to the complexity of quantum algorithms and their integration with classical logic. This highlights the need for advanced clone detection and refactoring tools specifically designed for the quantum domain to improve software maintainability and scalability.