Extending graphical representations for compact closed categories with applications to symbolic quantum computation

Graph-based formalisms of quantum computation provide an abstract and symbolic way to represent and simulate computations. However, manual manipulation of such graphs is slow and error prone. We present a formalism, based on compact closed categories, that supports mechanised reasoning about such graphs. This gives a compositional account of graph rewriting that preserves the underlying categorical semantics. Using this representation, we describe a generic system with a fixed logical kernel that supports reasoning about models of compact closed category. A salient feature of the system is that it provides a formal and declarative account of derived results that can include 'ellipses'-style notation. We illustrate the framework by instantiating it for a graphical language of quantum computation and show how this can be used to perform symbolic computation.