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.