18 Glossary

Purpose

This chapter defines the project terminology used across the specification and repository.

Core Requirement

Terms should remain stable, precise, and standardization-friendly.

Core Terms

QOS

The runtime, systems, and orchestration viewpoint for quantum program submission, scheduling, resource management, execution coordination, and feedback handling.

UQCI

The canonical universal quantum control protocol layer defined by this repository. UQCI owns the semantic source of truth for program representation and execution intent.

Canonical IR

The authoritative in-memory and serializable semantic representation used by UQCI. OpenQASM exports do not replace the canonical IR.

OpenQASM Compatibility Bridge

A practical export layer that maps canonical UQCI semantics into supported OpenQASM profiles for exchange, compatibility, and tooling interoperation.

Manifest

The bundle entry description that identifies versions, sidecar paths, target profile information, and integrity metadata for an execution package.

DeviceSpec

A normative sidecar artifact describing backend capabilities, topology, channels, native operations, timing information, and structural constraints.

CalSet

A normative sidecar artifact containing versioned calibration and runtime parameter references required for execution or lowering decisions.

Execution Bundle

A normative deliverable containing a program entry and its associated sidecars, typically including Manifest, DeviceSpec, CalSet, and optional supplemental artifacts.

ExecutionPlan

A backend-facing execution-ready plan derived from canonical UQCI semantics after validation, allocation, scheduling, or lowering.

RunResult

A standard execution result object used across backends to report measurements, metadata, timing, status, and diagnostics references.

ValidationReport

A standard report object used to communicate validation success, warnings, errors, and compatibility or completeness findings.

Driver API

The backend-facing execution contract that consumes canonical programs and normative sidecars and produces validation reports, execution plans, run results, and diagnostics.

Mock Backend

A lightweight backend implementation used to verify architecture, testing, and extensibility assumptions without claiming production hardware fidelity.

Compatibility Profile

A declared OpenQASM export envelope such as OQ-0, OQ-1, OQ-2, or OQ-X, each indicating a different level of timing, calibration, and extension support.

Lowering

The transformation process from canonical UQCI semantics to a narrower execution or export form, including OpenQASM compatibility output or backend-native plans.

OpenQASM

A standardized program representation used here as a compatibility and exchange layer. It is not the canonical source of truth and must not be confused with the full QOS runtime or systems layer.