User Guide: Topological Quantum Computer SHA-520 Research Repo
This repository is a staged research implementation for studying a hypothetical Fibonacci-anyon topological quantum computer and its use as a simulation target for SHA-520-style reduced-round cryptanalysis experiments.
It is not a physical quantum computer, not a production cryptanalysis tool, and not a claim that SHA-512 or SHA-3 are broken.
What This Repository Is
The repo combines four layers:
| Layer | Purpose | Evidence status |
|---|---|---|
| Lean 4 formalization | Fibonacci anyon and braid-theory proof surface | Stubbed; Lake project config still required |
| Python classical model | SHA-520-r reference and classical complexity baselines | Syntax-valid; runtime smoke tests required |
| Python quantum model | Reversible SHA-520 oracle and Grover resource estimates | Framework-level; placeholders remain |
| Experiment scripts | Four-phase validation pipeline | Runnable after environment setup; some phases are estimate-only |
SHA-520 is the repository's research label. The current
python/classical/sha520_ref.py implementation returns a 65-byte, 520-bit
digest using the explicit arrays in python/qlambda/arrays.py. It is still a
repository-defined research construction, not a NIST SHA standard.
Setup
Run from the repository root:
cd C:\Users\jessi\Desktop\topological-quantum-computer
python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate
python -m pip install -e .
Optional simulator dependencies:
python -m pip install ".[quantum,simulation]"
Lean is required only for the formal layer:
cd lean
lake build
Current audit note: lean/ needs a lakefile.lean or lakefile.toml before
lake build can serve as a real Lean gate.
CORTO Analysis
Use this repo with the CORTO frame: Claims, Objectives, Risks, Tests, Outputs.
| Area | Repo meaning |
|---|---|
| Claims | Topological compilation can be modeled; Grover-style search remains the prior-art quantum bound for generic preimage search |
| Objectives | Build a falsifiable simulation and documentation harness, not a deployed attack |
| Risks | Overstating placeholder simulations, confusing SHA-520 with NIST SHA, or treating Lean stubs as closed proofs |
| Tests | Python syntax/import checks, Phase 1 reference checks, optional Qiskit simulation, resource-estimate comparison, Lean build |
| Outputs | JSON experiment reports, resource tables, braid-count estimates, and audit notes |
Algorithms in Scope
| Algorithm or model | Role in repo | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Classical brute force | Baseline preimage search | Reduced output sizes only |
| Birthday collision search | Classical collision baseline | Toy/reduced targets only |
| Grover search | Quantum preimage baseline | No full-scale real-world attack |
| BHT collision search | Prior-art quantum collision reference | Documentation comparison only |
| Topological amplitude estimation | Topological-gate framing of amplitude methods | Not claimed as a new asymptotic break |
| Fibonacci anyon braid compilation | Topological gate model | Theoretical; no hardware construction |
| Solovay-Kitaev compilation | Gate-to-braid approximation model | Resource estimate, not measured hardware evidence |
Running the Audit Checks
Read-only syntax checks:
python -c "import ast,pathlib; files=[p for r in [pathlib.Path('python'),pathlib.Path('experiments')] for p in r.rglob('*.py')]; [ast.parse(p.read_text(encoding='utf-8'), filename=str(p)) for p in files]; print('PYTHON_SYNTAX_OK', len(files), 'files')"
python -c "import pathlib,tomllib; tomllib.loads(pathlib.Path('pyproject.toml').read_text(encoding='utf-8')); print('PYPROJECT_TOML_OK')"
git diff --check
Runtime smoke checks:
python -c "import sys; sys.path.insert(0, 'python'); import classical, quantum, simulators; print('IMPORT_OK')"
python experiments\phase1_classical_validation.py
python experiments\phase2_quantum_simulation.py
python experiments\phase3_resource_validation.py
python experiments\phase4_topological_compilation.py
Lean gate:
cd lean
lake build
Do not mark the repo production-ready until the runtime checks and Lean gate
match the status claimed in BUILD_STATUS.md.
Prior-Art and Novelty Boundaries
This repository should be positioned as an integration and falsification framework over known quantum-computing ideas, not as a claim of first discovery of those ideas.
Prior art that should be acknowledged:
- Grover search gives the generic quadratic search speedup for unstructured search: Grover 1996.
- Tight bounds on Grover-style quantum search are prior art: Boyer, Brassard, Hoyer, Tapp 1998.
- Amplitude amplification and estimation are prior art: Brassard, Hoyer, Mosca, Tapp.
- Anyon-based fault-tolerant computation is prior art: Kitaev 2003.
- Density/universality results for Jones braid representations are prior art: Freedman, Larsen, Wang 2002.
- Solovay-Kitaev compilation overhead is prior art: Dawson and Nielsen 2006.
- NIST Secure Hash Standard names and SHA-512 status come from FIPS 180-4.
Novelty claims should therefore be limited to this repository's specific combination of Lean proof surfaces, SHA-520-r simulation harness, Q-Lambda DSL, array manifests, resource auditing, and topological-compilation documentation.
Safety Boundary
Allowed:
- reduced-round experiments,
- toy-output preimage/collision tests,
- theoretical braid compilation,
- resource estimation,
- documentation and formalization.
Forbidden:
- full-round cryptanalysis against real systems,
- key recovery attempts,
- physical hardware construction,
- claims that SHA-512, SHA-3, or NIST hash standards are broken,
- publishing placeholder simulation output as measured evidence.