Abstract

Recursion is a fundamental concept in computer science, allowing complex algorithms to be expressed as compact, elegant, and modular programs. In quantum computing, recursion is appealing for the same reasons, but it also interacts in subtle ways with uniquely quantum features such as superposition and entanglement. Today, many quantum algorithms are still presented as low-level circuits, making them difficult to analyse, verify, and scale. In this talk, I will introduce quantum recursive programming, a high-level framework that supports modular programming of quantum algorithms. I will discuss two complementary perspectives on quantum recursive programs: a proof system for the formal verification of their correctness, and a framework for their efficient implementation. Together, these results show how quantum recursive programming can bring together modularity, correctness, and efficiency.

About the speaker

Zhicheng Zhang is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Technology Sydney. He earned his PhD under the supervision of Mingsheng Ying, Zhengfeng Ji, and Sanjiang Li. His research spans the theory of quantum computing, with a particular focus on the design of efficient quantum algorithms and the quantum software foundations needed for their high-level programming and reliable implementation.