Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
11-2023
Abstract
Quantum computing offers significant speedup compared to classical computing, which has led to a growing interest among users in learning and applying quantum computing across various applications. However, quantum circuits, which are fundamental for implementing quantum algorithms, can be challenging for users to understand due to their underlying logic, such as the temporal evolution of quantum states and the effect of quantum amplitudes on the probability of basis quantum states. To fill this research gap, we propose QuantumEyes, an interactive visual analytics system to enhance the interpretability of quantum circuits through both global and local levels. For the global-level analysis, we present three coupled visualizations to delineate the changes of quantum states and the underlying reasons: a Probability Summary View to overview the probability evolution of quantum states; a State Evolution View to enable an in-depth analysis of the influence of quantum gates on the quantum states; a Gate Explanation View to show the individual qubit states and facilitate a better understanding of the effect of quantum gates. For the local-level analysis, we design a novel geometrical visualization dandelion chart to explicitly reveal how the quantum amplitudes affect the probability of the quantum state. We thoroughly evaluated QuantumEyes as well as the novel dandelion chart integrated into it through two case studies on different types of quantum algorithms and in-depth expert interviews with 12 domain experts. The results demonstrate the effectiveness and usability of our approach in enhancing the interpretability of quantum circuits.
Keywords
data visualization, Interpretability, quantum circuits, quantum computing
Discipline
Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing | Software Engineering
Research Areas
Software and Cyber-Physical Systems
Publication
IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics
First Page
1
Last Page
13
ISSN
1077-2626
Identifier
10.1109/TVCG.2023.3332999
Publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Citation
RUAN, Shaolun; GUAN, Qiang; GRIFFIN, Paul; MAO, Ying; and WANG, Yong.
QuantumEyes: Towards better interpretability of quantum circuits. (2023). IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics. 1-13.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sis_research/8331
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1109/TVCG.2023.3332999