Joshua Izaac

n this talk, we introduce Strawberry Fields, an open-source quantum software library for light-based quantum computers. Built in Python, Strawberry Fields is a full-stack library for design, simulation, optimization, and quantum machine learning of photonic quantum circuits. The platform consists of three main components: (i) an API for quantum programming based on an easy-to-use language named Blackbird; (ii) a suite of three virtual quantum computer backends, built in NumPy and Tensorflow, each targeting specialized uses; and (iii) an engine which can compile Blackbird programs on various backends, including the three built-in simulators, and – in the near future – photonic quantum information processors. The library also contains built-in examples of several paradigmatic algorithms, including teleportation, (Gaussian) boson sampling, instantaneous quantum polynomial, Hamiltonian simulation, and variational quantum circuit optimization.