Quantum Integers

QInt is a higher-level quantum type that represents an integer encoded across multiple qubits. Instead of managing individual qubits, you work with arithmetic operations directly.

Creating QInt Values

The simplest way to create a quantum integer is with a type annotation:

x: QInt = 42                        -- minimum bits needed (6 qubits)
y: QInt[8] = 13                     -- fixed 8-qubit width
z: QInt = some_int_var              -- dynamic (width determined at runtime)

QInt = 42 allocates just enough qubits to represent 42 (6 qubits). QInt[8] fixes the register width to 8 qubits, which is useful when you need a specific bit width for arithmetic or interoperation with other registers.

Compound Assignment

Compound assignment operators modify the target register in-place while preserving the operand. This is the accumulator style:

Operator	Meaning
x += y	Quantum addition (y preserved)
x += 5	Add classical constant
x -= 3	Subtract classical constant
x *= 7	Multiply by classical constant
x ^= y	Quantum XOR (y preserved)

The key property: the right-hand operand is not consumed. After x += y, the variable y is still live and must eventually be measured or discarded.

Binary Operations

Binary operators create a new register and consume both operands:

Supported binary operators: +, - (with QInt or Int operands).

Linearity

QInt is a linear type, following the same rules as Qubit—each value must be used exactly once. The two arithmetic styles have different linearity behavior:

• Compound assignment (x += y) — modifies x in-place, preserves y
• Binary operation (z = x + y) — creates new z, consumes both x and y

Use compound assignment when you need to keep operands alive. Use binary operations when you're done with both inputs.

-- Compound: y survives
x += y
-- ... can still use y ...
discard(y)

-- Binary: both consumed
z = x + y
-- x and y are gone; only z remains

Measuring and Discarding

Like qubits, quantum integers must be consumed. Use measure to collapse to a classical Int, or discard to throw away the value:

result: Int = measure(x)            -- collapses to classical integer
discard(x)                          -- discards without measuring

Conversion Functions

Convert between QInt and raw qubit lists when you need low-level access:

Function	Signature	Description
qint_from_qubits	List[Qubit] -> QInt	Wrap a qubit list as a QInt
qubits_from_qint	QInt -> List[Qubit]	Unwrap a QInt to a qubit list

-- Drop down to individual qubits
qubits: List[Qubit] = qubits_from_qint(x)

-- Wrap qubits back into a QInt
x: QInt = qint_from_qubits(qubits)

These are useful when you need to apply individual gates to specific qubits within an integer register.

Next Steps

• Gates — Quantum gate operations on qubits
• Linear Types — How linearity works in Kettle
• Measurement — Extracting classical results from quantum states