Frequently asked questions

How can I retrieve Fire Opal job results?

You can view and retrieve the results from previously run jobs by using the activity_monitor and the get_result functions. This is the recommended method, since retrieving results directly from the hardware provider will not include Fire Opal's post-processing, thus the performance improvement will be limited compared to results obtained from the direct execution response.

Can I execute Fire Opal calls asynchronously so that I can use my kernel to run other functions?

You can free up your kernel by restarting it via your code editor—the Fire Opal function will still finish execute and the results will be saved for retrieval. However, avoid cancelling the operation from your notebook cell, as that will abort the Fire Opal call.

What devices do you support?

Fire Opal currently offers free support for devices up to 127-qubits on the IBM Quantum Open and Pay-As-You-Go plans. Please contact Q-CTRL about support for IBM Premium Plan devices.

Support for other backend providers and cloud platforms is on the way! Get in touch via the email above to learn about our device roadmap or to request support for a specific provider.

Can I use simulators with Fire Opal?

Simulators are not supported by Fire Opal. The benefits of Fire Opal's advanced error suppression and mitigation techniques are tailored for real quantum computers. Our goal is to enable users to perform research and development on real devices as this is the only way to get a true indication of algorithmic performance. Even noisy simulators have biases that can skew results to make them less informative.

Why am I getting a localhost refused to connect. error when Fire Opal tries to authenticate?

This error may occur if you are using a web-based development environment, such as Google Colab or JupyterLab, which are incompatible with Fire Opal's browser-based authentication. To avoid this error, authenticate using an API key.

Why am I getting an error message that I have reached the maximum number of API limits per day?

The Free Plan has a limit of 20 calls per user per day. To increase your limit, please contact Q-CTRL.

Why do I see an additional job tagged with "fire-opal-mitigation"?

Fire Opal runs a lightweight form of error mitigation called "measurement error mitigation". This involves collecting data from a few test circuits, and it is similar to QiskitRuntime's default resilience_level=1. The entire process takes about 10 seconds or less and will be run at most once every 6 hours. You are more likely to see this job if you are using a private device.

Where should I reach out if I have additional questions?

Join the Q-CTRL Discord server to get in contact directly with the team regarding questions or product feedback!