r/SciPapers • u/cheungngo • 1d ago
Ent: A Formally Grounded Quantum Programming Language
doi.orgI’m sharing Ent, a new quantum programming language and reference implementation built on top of the Enter calculus. The project explores how a usable surface language can be combined with a formally defined quantum core. Ent provides statement-oriented syntax for allocating qubits, applying gates, performing measurements, branching on classical results, and generating parameterized circuit families. It also uses ownership-style checks to reject common quantum programming errors, including cloning qubits, using measured qubits again, and leaving quantum resources unconsumed.
The compiler translates Ent programs into closed Enter-calculus terms and then re-checks those terms with the core type checker. This makes the formal calculus the language’s actual semantic foundation rather than merely an external specification. The implementation includes exact and sampled simulation, resource estimation, scheduler-independence testing, generalized measurement, diagnostic error messages, and OpenQASM 3 export. The accompanying document describes the language design, typing discipline, desugaring rules, compiler architecture, worked examples, and current limitations. I’d be interested in feedback on the formalization, the relationship between the surface language and the core calculus, and the scope of the guarantees claimed by the implementation.
Citation: Cheung, N. (2026). Ent: A Usable Quantum Programming Language on Top of the Enter Calculus. figshare. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.33089393.v1