Ponq

A physics-driven Pong variant where quantum coherence generates real forces. The ball's quantum state doesn't just determine what you see — it determines how the ball moves.

Overview

Ponq extends the Quantum Pong concept with a physics integration layer. The off-diagonal magnitude of the reduced density matrix (coherence) drives a steering force on the ball. The more "quantum" a ball is (higher coherence), the more it curves. Phase rotation charges the ball, and zones on the field activate quantum abilities.

Key Mechanics

Mechanism	Gate	Game Effect
Entangle-split	cycle + i_swap(0.5)	Ball splits into correlated pair
Phase charging	clock(fraction)	Charge ball with phase for later force
Coherence readout	reduced_density_matrix()	Off-diagonal magnitude as steering force
Zone activation	hadamard or i_swap	Field zones trigger quantum abilities

The core innovation: quantum state directly drives classical physics. Each frame, coherence maps to force magnitude and phase angle maps to force direction. High-coherence balls curve; collapsed balls travel straight. Players use phase charging to control the curve direction before entering the quantum zone.