November 2024 update

This release updates the April release to confirm compatibility with the latest version of Qiskit, and adds interactive functionality to set up the run and, if necessary, store authentication credentials to services from IBM Quantum or IBM Cloud.

(These enhancements are intended to make it more useful as a demo included in the RasQberry Pi project)

V 6.0 compatible with Qiskit v1.0

This release updates to the new (Feb 2024) Qiskit v1.0 and uses the Qiskit Runtime Service for authentication and connection, as well as supporting more powerful local simulators in lieu of the sunsetting cloud simulators

v5.0

v5.0 -- adding Dual Display option. The -dual parameter will spin up a Sensehat emulator as well as use the display on a physical Sensehat, if one is detected. If no physical hat is installed, this parameter is ignored and the emulator alone will be spun up.
(The orientation of the physical display will change according to the rotation of the Raspberry Pi)

Adding -noise option for local simulator

This enhanced alternative to the -local option allows for the use of a stored model of one of the (noisy) physical processors at IBM Quantum

Adding -local option to use local simulator

This adds a new parameter, -local, which will make the program load the qiskit-aer qasm_simulator to use a backend instead of one of the backends available at IBM Quantum via the web APIs.

This means the quantum simulation is run locally in the Raspberry Pi, and no Internet connectivity is required to run. Note that this backend is "perfect" i.e. there is no noise model applied to it.

Version 4 -- compatible with qiskit v0.23

The main change here is smarter parsing of the qiskit-ibmq-providers subversion string, so it can call the new backend connection code properly.

Minor Update: "tee" display for 5-qubit circuits

Most of the new 5-qubit processors use a tee-shaped entanglement arrangement. using the -tee option when launching the program will run the 5-qubit display using that arrangement instead of the "bowtie"

Version 3.5

Display during "thinking" (waiting for results) is now the Q logo with the rainbow wash applied to it.

Add one more parameter: -noq ... using it will instead use the old "thinking" display using the qubit pattern.

Can use SenseHat Emulator plus selection of IBM Q backend

This update adds a couple more command line parameters. You may force use of the SenseHat emulator by way of the -e parameter, and select which of the available IBM Q backends you wish to use by way of the -b parameter.
(Note that using a non-simulator backend will put the code into single-shot mode instead of looping repeatedly, so as to avoid exhausting your "credits" at IBM Q.)

Enables use of SenseHat Emulator

This version makes it possible to run even if you don't have the SenseHat accessory installed on your Raspberry Pi. It will launch a SenseHat emulator GUI on your desktop and send the display to that instead.
This does require the installation of an additional library: sense-emu.