A dataflow programming framework for linear optical distributed quantum computing
Photonic systems offer a promising platform for interconnecting quantum processors and enabling scalable, networked architectures. Designing and verifying such architectures requires a unified formalism that integrates linear algebraic reasoning with probabilistic and control-flow structures. In this work, we introduce a graphical framework for distributed quantum computing that brings together linear optics, the ZX-calculus, and dataflow programming. Our language supports the formal analysis and optimization of distributed protocols involving both qubits and photonic modes, with explicit interfaces for classical control and feedforward, all expressed within a synchronous dataflow model with discrete-time dynamics. Within this setting, we classify entangling photonic fusion measurements, show how their induced Pauli errors can be corrected via a novel flow structure for fusion networks, and establish correctness proofs for new repeat-until-success protocols enabling arbitrary fusions. Layer by layer, we construct qubit architectures incorporating practical optical components such as beam splitters, switches, and photon sources, with graphical proofs that they are deterministic and support universal quantum computation. Together, these results establish a foundation for verifiable compilation and automated optimization in networked quantum computing.
Authors
- Boldizsár Poór
- Cole Comfort
- Giovanni de Felice (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8550-718X)
- Lia Yeh
- Bob Coecke
- William Cashman
- Mateusz Kupper
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Perimeter Institute (CA)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Université Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Wolfson Foundation (GB)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Science Oxford (GB)
- Laboratoire Méthodes Formelles (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Quantum
- Published
- 2026-01-19
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.22331/q-2026-01-19-1972
- Primary Topic
- Quantum Computing Algorithms and Architecture
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- University of Oxford
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche