Quantum Node Guardian — Real-Time Physical Layer Protection for Quantum Hardware
W(t) = Q·D − chi(wear)·T_norm − E_norm·0.22 + phase·0.098 − kappa·U(t)
ORAC-QNode is a deterministic real-time vitality controller that protects the physical layer around quantum processors — thermal stability, power delivery aging, and component wear — without machine learning, without lookup tables, in 535 nanoseconds.
Quantum hardware is sensitive to three physical disturbances:
- Temperature fluctuations — cryogenic drift, thermal spikes
- Component aging — elevated BER as hardware accumulates wear
- Power delivery noise — voltage transients reaching the quantum layer
ORAC-QNode addresses all three at the physical layer — in the control electronics surrounding the quantum processor, not at the qubit level. It acts as a predictive buffer that prevents thermal and electrical shocks from reaching the quantum layer.
Scope: This system manages the physical environment around the quantum processor. It does NOT control qubits directly. It signals the host computer to adjust job scheduling based on real-time physical health.
Standard thermal guardians react only to instantaneous temperature. ORAC-QNode adds two new metrics:
sigma_E — standard deviation of thermal energy over the last 30 steps. Measures how chaotic the system is behaving.
f_familiarity — how much the current behavior deviates from historical baseline. If the system is in an unfamiliar regime, uncertainty rises. U(t) = sigma_E + alpha * (1 - f_familiarity)
W(t) = Q_perf - T_norm0.84 - E_norm0.22 + phase0.098 - kappaU(t)
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The system recognizes familiar RF noise as "known" and does not over-react. It activates only under genuine physical threat.
| Feature | Description | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) | Adaptive phase step with KP=0.15, KI=0.02 | Synchronizes with external quantum signals |
| Coherence Metric | Real-time phase alignment measurement (0-1) | Quantifies resonance quality |
| Resonant State Detection | New RESONANT status when W>0.45 & COH>0.78 |
Optimal performance indicator |
| Fast Thermal Recovery | Returns to HEALTHY within 2.5s after 120°C spike | Production-ready resilience |
| Sensor-Agnostic Validation | Same pipeline for 3 different sensors | Unprecedented versatility |
Performance validation (v8):
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Sensor-agnostic correlation | W1 ≈ W2 ≈ W3 (error < 0.002) |
| Recovery time after 120°C spike | < 2.5 seconds |
| Coherence range | 0.52 — 1.00 |
| Resonant detection | 36+ times in 100-second test |
Validated on STM32F401CCU6 @ 84 MHz with DWT cycle counter (1-cycle resolution):
| Implementation | Min cycles | Avg cycles | Min latency | Avg latency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| v4 software math | 351 | 593 | 4178 ns | 7059 ns |
| v4 FPU float | 201 | 204 | 2393 ns | 2429 ns |
| v7e Q15/Q12 | 45 | 45–55 | 535 ns | 535–654 ns |
| v8 (same core) | 45 | 45–55 | 535 ns | 535–654 ns |
Two deterministic latency tiers:
- 535 ns (45 cycles) — T outside wear-active zone
- 654 ns (55 cycles) — Arrhenius path active (55–83°C)
Zero variance within each tier.
RAM footprint: 14 bytes state (v7) / 24 bytes state (v8 with PLL)
Flash: ~320 bytes (v7) / ~450 bytes (v8)
Dependencies: None (single header, C99)
Arrhenius-weighted simulation, 2000 steps, 90% workload vs fixed-threshold control:
| Metric | Fixed threshold | ORAC-QNode | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg junction temp | 68.5°C | 63.0°C | −5.6°C |
| NAND quality Q | 0.631 | 0.669 | +6.0% |
| Component lifetime | baseline | +31.6% | +31.6% |
| Wear accumulation | baseline | −27.8% | −27.8% |
We tested the hypothesis that the same orac_single_node_v8.h pipeline can maintain stability (W > 0) across three fundamentally different sensors exposed to identical physical conditions:
| Sensor | Type | Cost | Response |
|---|---|---|---|
| DS18B20 | Temperature (digital) | $2 | Slow thermal mass |
| MPU6050 | Accelerometer + Gyro | $10 | Fast vibration response |
| NV-center (emulated) | Quantum sensor | $0 (sim) | 1/f noise + fast decoherence |
The Experiment: Thermal cycle (25°C → 65°C → 25°C) with an extreme 120°C spike between 30-35 seconds. The hypothesis would be falsified if the three W values showed differing signs at any time step.
The Result: ✅ All three sensors maintained identical sign throughout the entire experiment, including during the 120°C spike. The hypothesis was not falsified, supporting sensor-agnostic operation.
Recovery Performance: After the spike, the system returned to HEALTHY status within 2.5 seconds, demonstrating production-ready resilience.
Try it yourself (no hardware required):
gcc -lm -o orac_demo orac_minimal_demo_v8.c && ./orac_demo
See orac_minimal_demo_v8.c for the complete test.
🎯 Resonance Detection
The v8 system can detect and report resonant states — optimal operating conditions where phase coherence and vitality are maximized:
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RESONANT status conditions:
- W ≥ 0.45
- Coherence ≥ 0.78
- Phase error minimized via PLL
When to use RESONANT detection:
Quantum sensing (NV-center, atomic interferometers): Maximum sensitivity requires resonant operation
Navigation (GPS-denied environments): Maintaining lock is mission-critical
Medical diagnostics (QT Sense, NVision): Diagnostic accuracy depends on resonance quality
Two Deployment Variants
Variant A — Single Node Guardian
For one SpinQ Gemini or compatible NMR quantum computer.
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Hardware: STM32F4 + DS18B20 temperature sensor
Interface: USB Serial → host computer
Output: RESONANT / HEALTHY / WARM / THROTTLE / CRITICAL / DEAD
Latency: 535 ns
Memory: 24 bytes state
Files: orac_single_node_v8.h + orac_single_node_v8.ino
Variant B — Network Guardian
For a network of 2–8 quantum nodes. Adds adaptive coupling between nodes, load balancing, and predictive lambda activation.
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Hardware: STM32F4 + I2C multiplexer + N sensors
Adaptive coupling: lambda 0.10–0.40 (predictive + hysteresis)
Load balancing: automatic redistribution
Network output: NET:OK/WARN/ALERT/EMERGENCY + per-node status
Files: orac_network_v8.h + orac_network_v8.ino
File Structure
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ORAC-QNode/
├── README.md
├── LICENSE
├── orac_single_node_v7e.h # Core v7 (stable, 14 bytes RAM)
├── orac_single_node_v8.h # 🆕 v8 with PLL + resonance (24 bytes RAM)
├── orac_single_node_v7e.ino # Single node main loop
├── orac_network_v7e.h # Network guardian
├── orac_network_v7e.ino # Network main loop
├── orac_spinqit_wrapper.py # Python SpinQit integration
├── orac_minimal_demo.c # v7 demo (3 sensors, 120°C spike)
├── orac_minimal_demo_v8.c # 🆕 v8 demo with PLL + resonance
└── hardware/ # Legacy hardware files
├── orac_nt_vitality_v7e.h
├── orac_stm32_v7e.ino
└── ...
Quick Start
Single node (STM32) with v7 (stable):
cpp
#include "orac_single_node_v7e.h"
ORAC_SingleState S;
orac_single_init(&S);
// In loop:
float T = read_temperature();
float load = compute_load(T);
ORAC_Result r = orac_single_step(&S, T, load);
// Output: STEP|T|W|U|E|STATUS
Single node with v8 (PLL + resonance):
cpp
#include "orac_single_node_v8.h"
ORAC_SingleState S;
orac_single_init(&S);
// In loop (note: time_sec required for PLL):
float T = read_temperature();
float load = compute_load(T);
float t = millis() / 1000.0f;
ORAC_Result r = orac_single_step(&S, T, load, t);
// Output includes coherence: STEP|T|W|U|E|COH|STATUS
Sensor-Agnostic Demo with v8:
bash
# Compile and run — proves same W works for 3 different sensors
gcc -lm -o orac_demo_v8 orac_minimal_demo_v8.c
./orac_demo_v8
Python SpinQit wrapper:
bash
# Demo mode (no hardware)
python orac_spinqit_wrapper.py --demo
# With STM32 on COM3
python orac_spinqit_wrapper.py --port COM3 --mode single
# Network mode (4 nodes)
python orac_spinqit_wrapper.py --port COM3 --mode network
Serial Output Format
Single node (v7):
text
42|67.3|0.4120|0.0870|0.5310|WARM
STEP | T(°C) | W | U_t | E_norm | STATUS
Single node (v8):
text
42|67.3|0.4120|0.0870|0.5310|0.8472|RESONANT
STEP | T(°C) | W | U_t | E_norm | COH | STATUS
Network:
text
NET:OK|W:0.712|U:0.091|L:0.23|FAIL:0/4
N0:HEALTHY|N1:WARM|N2:HEALTHY|N3:THROTTLE
Status Definitions
Status W range Coherence (v8) Description
RESONANT (v8 only) ≥ 0.45 ≥ 0.78 Optimal operation, phase-locked
HEALTHY 0.30 – 1.00 ≥ 0.60 Normal operation
WARM 0.00 – 0.29 0.45 – 0.60 Elevated temperature, reduce load
THROTTLE -0.119 – 0.00 0.30 – 0.45 Active cooling required
CRITICAL -0.699 – -0.120 < 0.30 Imminent damage, emergency
DEAD < -0.70 < 0.30 Sacrificed, hardware protection active
Scientific Reference
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19019599
SDK: github.com/Kretski/orac-nt-ssd-thermal-sdk
Author: Dimitar Kretski, Independent Researcher, Varna, Bulgaria
License
This software is proprietary. See LICENSE for full terms.
Commercial use requires a license.
For licensing inquiries: kretski1@gmail.com
Academic evaluation licenses available — contact for details.