qiskit

Qiskit

Overview

Qiskit is the world's most popular open-source quantum computing framework with 13M+ downloads. Build quantum circuits, optimize for hardware, execute on simulators or real quantum computers, and analyze results. Supports IBM Quantum (100+ qubit systems), IonQ, Amazon Braket, and other providers.

Key Features:

83x faster transpilation than competitors

29% fewer two-qubit gates in optimized circuits

Backend-agnostic execution (local simulators or cloud hardware)

Comprehensive algorithm libraries for optimization, chemistry, and ML

Quick Start

Installation

uv pip install qiskit
uv pip install "qiskit[visualization]" matplotlib

First Circuit

from qiskit import QuantumCircuit
from qiskit.primitives import StatevectorSampler
Create Bell state (entangled qubits)

qc = QuantumCircuit(2)
qc.h(0)           # Hadamard on qubit 0
qc.cx(0, 1)       # CNOT from qubit 0 to 1
qc.measure_all()  # Measure both qubits
Run locally

sampler = StatevectorSampler()
result = sampler.run([qc], shots=1024).result()
counts = result[0].data.meas.get_counts()
print(counts)  # {'00': ~512, '11': ~512}

Visualization

from qiskit.visualization import plot_histogram
qc.draw('mpl')           # Circuit diagram
plot_histogram(counts)   # Results histogram

Core Capabilities

1. Setup and Installation

For detailed installation, authentication, and IBM Quantum account setup:

See references/setup.md

Topics covered:

Installation with uv

Python environment setup

IBM Quantum account and API token configuration

Local vs. cloud execution

2. Building Quantum Circuits

For constructing quantum circuits with gates, measurements, and composition:

See references/circuits.md

Topics covered:

Creating circuits with QuantumCircuit

Single-qubit gates (H, X, Y, Z, rotations, phase gates)

Multi-qubit gates (CNOT, SWAP, Toffoli)

Measurements and barriers

Circuit composition and properties

Parameterized circuits for variational algorithms

3. Primitives (Sampler and Estimator)

For executing quantum circuits and computing results:

See references/primitives.md

Topics covered:

Sampler: Get bitstring measurements and probability distributions

Estimator: Compute expectation values of observables

V2 interface (StatevectorSampler, StatevectorEstimator)

IBM Quantum Runtime primitives for hardware

Sessions and Batch modes

Parameter binding

4. Transpilation and Optimization

For optimizing circuits and preparing for hardware execution:

See references/transpilation.md

Topics covered:

Why transpilation is necessary

Optimization levels (0-3)

Six transpilation stages (init, layout, routing, translation, optimization, scheduling)

Advanced features (virtual permutation elision, gate cancellation)

Common parameters (initial_layout, approximation_degree, seed)

Best practices for efficient circuits

5. Visualization

For displaying circuits, results, and quantum states:

See references/visualization.md

Topics covered:

Circuit drawings (text, matplotlib, LaTeX)

Result histograms

Quantum state visualization (Bloch sphere, state city, QSphere)

Backend topology and error maps

Customization and styling

Saving publication-quality figures

6. Hardware Backends

For running on simulators and real quantum computers:

See references/backends.md

Topics covered:

IBM Quantum backends and authentication

Backend properties and status

Running on real hardware with Runtime primitives

Job management and queuing

Session mode (iterative algorithms)

Batch mode (parallel jobs)

Local simulators (StatevectorSampler, Aer)

Third-party providers (IonQ, Amazon Braket)

Error mitigation strategies

7. Qiskit Patterns Workflow

For implementing the four-step quantum computing workflow:

See references/patterns.md

Topics covered:

Map: Translate problems to quantum circuits

Optimize: Transpile for hardware

Execute: Run with primitives

Post-process: Extract and analyze results

Complete VQE example

Session vs. Batch execution

Common workflow patterns

8. Quantum Algorithms and Applications

For implementing specific quantum algorithms:

See references/algorithms.md

Topics covered:

Optimization: VQE, QAOA, Grover's algorithm

Chemistry: Molecular ground states, excited states, Hamiltonians

Machine Learning: Quantum kernels, VQC, QNN

Algorithm libraries: Qiskit Nature, Qiskit ML, Qiskit Optimization

Physics simulations and benchmarking

Workflow Decision Guide

If you need to:

Install Qiskit or set up IBM Quantum account → references/setup.md

Build a new quantum circuit → references/circuits.md

Understand gates and circuit operations → references/circuits.md

Run circuits and get measurements → references/primitives.md

Compute expectation values → references/primitives.md

Optimize circuits for hardware → references/transpilation.md

Visualize circuits or results → references/visualization.md

Execute on IBM Quantum hardware → references/backends.md

Connect to third-party providers → references/backends.md

Implement end-to-end quantum workflow → references/patterns.md

Build specific algorithm (VQE, QAOA, etc.) → references/algorithms.md

Solve chemistry or optimization problems → references/algorithms.md

Best Practices

Development Workflow

Start with simulators: Test locally before using hardware

from qiskit.primitives import StatevectorSampler
   sampler = StatevectorSampler()

Always transpile: Optimize circuits before execution

from qiskit import transpile
   qc_optimized = transpile(qc, backend=backend, optimization_level=3)

Use appropriate primitives:

- Sampler for bitstrings (optimization algorithms)
- Estimator for expectation values (chemistry, physics)

Choose execution mode:

- Session: Iterative algorithms (VQE, QAOA)
- Batch: Independent parallel jobs
- Single job: One-off experiments

Performance Optimization

Use optimization_level=3 for production

Minimize two-qubit gates (major error source)

Test with noisy simulators before hardware

Save and reuse transpiled circuits

Monitor convergence in variational algorithms

Hardware Execution

Check backend status before submitting

Use least_busy() for testing

Save job IDs for later retrieval

Apply error mitigation (resilience_level)

Start with fewer shots, increase for final runs

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Simple Circuit Execution

from qiskit import QuantumCircuit, transpile
from qiskit.primitives import StatevectorSampler
qc = QuantumCircuit(2)
qc.h(0)
qc.cx(0, 1)
qc.measure_all()
sampler = StatevectorSampler()
result = sampler.run([qc], shots=1024).result()
counts = result[0].data.meas.get_counts()

Pattern 2: Hardware Execution with Transpilation

from qiskit_ibm_runtime import QiskitRuntimeService, SamplerV2 as Sampler
from qiskit import transpile
service = QiskitRuntimeService()
backend = service.backend("ibm_brisbane")
qc_optimized = transpile(qc, backend=backend, optimization_level=3)
sampler = Sampler(backend)
job = sampler.run([qc_optimized], shots=1024)
result = job.result()

Pattern 3: Variational Algorithm (VQE)

from qiskit_ibm_runtime import Session, EstimatorV2 as Estimator
from scipy.optimize import minimize
with Session(backend=backend) as session:
    estimator = Estimator(session=session)
    def cost_function(params):
        bound_qc = ansatz.assign_parameters(params)
        qc_isa = transpile(bound_qc, backend=backend)
        result = estimator.run([(qc_isa, hamiltonian)]).result()
        return result[0].data.evs
    result = minimize(cost_function, initial_params, method='COBYLA')

Additional Resources

Official Docs: https://quantum.ibm.com/docs

Qiskit Textbook: https://qiskit.org/learn

API Reference: https://docs.quantum.ibm.com/api/qiskit

Patterns Guide: https://quantum.cloud.ibm.com/docs/en/guides/intro-to-patterns

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