3.1.5 Running your Quantum Scores
So now that we've gotten familiar with the Composer, how do we run it? When you begin an experiment, you'll be prompted to give it a name, which is helpful if you'd like to quickly recognize it, or go back to it for reference.
Running on an Ideal Quantum Processor
If you've selected an "Ideal Quantum Processor," your only option is to run your score in simulation. That is because the ideal processor permits more connections than are available with the real device, which is limited by physical connectivity. If you "Simulate," your execution happens immediately, and your results are returned to you as shown below.
Running on a Real Quantum Processor with Units
If you instead select a "Real Quantum Processor," you can populate your qubit stave with gates and measurements, then hit "Run" to launch your score on the actual quantum computer. However, this will now require the usage of Units, a pseudo-currency we've devised to help us manage the queuing of instructions to our quantum processor. Having signed up as a Standard User of the IBM Quantum Experience, you do not have any Units yet, but slots for up to 10 Units. Work your way through the tutorials in the User Guide to fill up those 10 Units!
Now when you have Units, upon hitting "Run" a new box will show on your screen asking how many "shots" or repeats of your score you would like to run, along with the associated cost in Units.
After hitting "Ok," you are then given the chance to either run a brand new execution and spend the necessary Units, or to immediately receive results from a previous run of the same score, from our cache, for free. You will notice that many of the tutorial executions have a number of previous executions that you can observe and learn from!
Running a brand new execution places your score into the experimental queue, and you will be notified via e-mail when your score has been run. As a Standard User, your Units can be replenished by request from the "Account" at the top of your screen.
Upon running your score, its progress will be visible in the "My Scores" tab, sorted by date executed. When your results are ready, you will be able to view them from this tab. You can also re-edit your score and launch it into a simulator while you wait for your results to return.