# Quipper: A Scalable Quantum Programming Language

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1304.3390 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1304.3390/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 11 Apr 2013.

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [Recent advances for quantum classifiers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.13421/) (2021)
- [Quantum Neural Network Classifiers: A Tutorial](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.02806/) (2022)
- [Quantum compiling with a variational instruction set for accurate and fast quantum computing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.15574/) (2022)
- [Qadence: a differentiable interface for digital-analog programs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.09915/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The field of quantum algorithms is vibrant. Still, there is currently a lack of programming languages for describing quantum computation on a practical scale, i.e., not just at the level of toy problems. We address this issue by introducing Quipper, a scalable, expressive, functional, higher-order quantum programming language. Quipper has been used to program a diverse set of non-trivial quantum algorithms, and can generate quantum gate representations using trillions of gates. It is geared towards a model of computation that uses a classical computer to control a quantum device, but is not dependent on any particular model of quantum hardware. Quipper has proven effective and easy to use, and opens the door towards using formal methods to analyze quantum algorithms.