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Short Introduction to Quantum Computation

Jeffrey Yepez

Published Jul 26, 1996• 6 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

This paper presents a quantum lattice gas method useful for nano-scale computing and quantum computing. There are several important issues that arise when one considers fabricating nano-scale computing devices, and these issues are different depending on the type of computing one expects to do at this scale. The first type of computing, introduced by Ed Fredkin, Tom Toffoli, and Norm Margolus would be classical computing where Boolean bits that have a definite value of either 0 or 1 are still employed and where all logical gate operations are represented by unitary permutation operators causing neither any quantum mechanical superposition nor any quantum entanglement. This kind of computing may best be termed nano-scale computing. A second type of computing, introduced by Richard Feynman has been termed quantum computing where two-level quantum objects, such as spin-1/2 particles, are used to represent quantum bits or "qubits" and where quantum superposition and entanglement are integral to the logical gate operations and are required for computational efficiency. The characteristic nature of a qubit is that it can be in a superposition of the Boolean states 0 and 1, prototypically the ground state and excited state of a two-level quantum system. In nano-scale computing, one tries to implement reversible classical algorithms whose logical gate operations are represented by orthogonal permutation matrices, which are a special class of unitary matrices. The author discusses various reasons why one is driven to develop reversible algorithms for nano-scale computing. He then discusses how quantum computing relies on quantum interference and entanglement over a system of qubits occurring in a controlled fashion. These qubits will likely be spin-1/2 objects. To date, only one important algorithm is known whose efficiency is based on quantum interference and entanglement: Shors' prime number factoring algorithm.

Related papers

Quantum computing: an introduction

T. Beth

Summary form only given, as follows. Gives a system theoretic approach to the concept of quantum computing. A quantum computer is envisaged to be a system of quantum circuits, acting on a state space, which is a finite-say 2/sup n/-dimensional-complex Hilbert space. The circuitry is a sequence of unitary transforms U/sub t/ /spl epsiv/ SU(2/sup n/) followed by a measurement. These transforms, so-called quantum gates, are controlled by a classical computer, usually especially electromagnetic fields. The state space of a quantum computer has the structure of a Hermitian vector space. Thus it allows "simultaneous" superposition of orthogonal basis states (corresponding to classical states) with the possibility of constructive and destructive interference between different paths of computation. This principle allows the usage of so-called entangled states by preparing the superposition of special "bent" configurations of basis vectors in the product Hilbert space, e.g., as they are known from error control and cryptography. This latter "entanglement" not only promises to make a quantum computer much more powerful than a probabilistic one, but it also allows a method of parallelism. The reason for this lies not only in the fact that the 2/sup n/ dimensional Hilbert space is the n-fold tensor product of 2-dimensional spaces as it is given by spin-1/2-particles, like photons, representing a quantum bit. First of all, we shall address the fact that the power of quantum computing lies in the properties of entangled states as opposed to those of separable states which essentially would resemble classical circuits without giving the feature of exponential speed-up. We shall briefly describe possible physical realisations of quantum (optic, electronic, magnetic,...) devices allowing the engineering of Hamiltonians needed for quantum systems. Basic quantum gates, especially the quantum Horner-Toffoli gate will be discussed to display the principles and methodology for designing quantum circuits. An outlook towards the possible availability of nano- and mesoscopic technologies supporting this new architecture in future generations concludes based on a speculative worst/best case forecast of possible applications, e.g., in public key and conventional cryptography.

IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems proceedings•Jan 1, 2000•7 citations

Basic principles of quantum computing

Santeri Huhtanen

Quantum mechanics has proven its position as the primary theory for accurately describing microscopic domains. Numerous fields in physics utilize quantum mechanics to great effects, with one prominent application being quantum computing. Quantum computing extends the field of quantum mechanics to information theory, striving to perform computational tasks utilizing quantum phenomena with notably greater efficiency compared to classical alternatives. In this thesis, I will go through the basics required in the field of quantum computing. To understand quantum computing demands adapting a new type of matrix mechanical view. This involves considering Hilbert spaces, which are linear vector space having a well defined inner product. Hilbert spaces contain state vectors describing quantum states, as well as operators for altering and measuring these states. The dynamics of quantum systems are governed by three quantum postulates. These specify Hilbert spaces and state vectors as the fundamental components of quantum systems, Hermitian operators as providing the physical manifestation of these systems, and finally, the Schrödinger's equation to describe the time evolution of such systems. These notions are required in producing quantum computing. Quantum computing uses qubits as the computational basis, analogous to classical bits but with the added capability of quantum superposition. Qubits are represented as two-state vectors, and can be physically realized with any quantum-behaving binary-valued system, like the electron spins. Qubits can be combined into higher dimensional states with the use of tensor products, causing the system's Hilbert space to expand as 2^n with n being the number of qubits, allowing for exponential computational speedup. Computational logic can be constructed by acting on the qubits using unitary operators, known as quantum gates. The combinations of qubits and quantum gates can be visualized as quantum circuits, depicted using specialized circuit diagram notations. An essential part of quantum computing, and the phenomena enabling exponential computational speedup, is quantum entanglement. Entanglement arises in interacting qubits, intertwining them so that the individual states become correlated. Entanglement can be characterized by being unable to reduce a combined state into its pure constituents. The amount of entanglement in a system can be measured using von Neumann entropy, analogous to Shannon entropy in classical information theory. Entanglement serves various purposes in quantum computing and is a defining feature distinguishing it from the classical domain. In this thesis, the entanglement properties of a periodic four-qubit circuit with alternating quantum gates were simulated. The simulation was performed computationally, and measured entanglement entropy as a function of the amount of circuit periods. The results demonstrated different characteristics of entanglement depending on the parameters used for the quantum gates, with the entanglement either being periodic, non-occurring or chaotic in nature.

•Jan 1, 2024•0 citations

INTRODUCTION TO QUANTUM COMPUTING

Faisal Khan, Atharva Gambhir, Om Jadhav +2 more

Quantum computing represents a fundamentally new paradigm in information processing, in which information is encoded and manipulated using two-level quantum systems known as qubits, whose evolution is governed by the principles of quantum mechanics. This chapter presents a structured introduction to the theoretical foundations of quantum computation, beginning with the limitations of classical computation and the physical constraints that motivate the need for a quantum model of computation. We develop the mathematical framework required to describe quantum information, introducing qubits as state vectors in Hilbert space and examining the roles of superposition, measurement, and unitary evolution. Single-qubit operations are presented through the Pauli and Hadamard gates, along with their geometric interpretation on the Bloch sphere. Building on this formalism, the discussion is extended to multi-qubit systems using tensor products, and quantum entanglement is introduced as a non-classical correlation fundamental to quantum information processing. The chapter then explores quantum algorithms, focusing on Grover’s unstructured search algorithm, to demonstrate how superposition, interference, and entanglement can be harnessed to achieve computational advantages over classical approaches. Finally, the chapter discusses applications of quantum computation, including quantum simulation, cryptography, search and optimization problems, and near-term hybrid quantum algorithms such as the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE)and the Quantum Approximate Optimization (QAO) Algorithm, highlighting their relevance in the noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) era.

Iterative International Publishers eBooks•Jun 1, 2026•0 citations

Quantum Bits and Quantum Computation

Yorick Hardy, Willi-Hans Steeb

Digital computers are based on devices that can take on only two states, one of which is denoted by 0 and the other by 1. By concatenating several 0s and is together, 0-1 combinations can be formed to represent as many different entities as desired. A combination containing a single 0 or 1 is called a bit. In general, n bits can be used to distinguish among 2 n distinct entities and each addition of a bit doubles the number of possible combinations. Computers use strings of bits to represent numbers, letters, punctuation marks, and any other useful pieces of information. In a classical computer, the processing of information is done by logic gate. A logic gate maps the state of its input bits into another state according to a truth table. Quantum computers require quantum logic, something fundamentally different to classical Boolean logic. This difference leads to a greater efficiency of quantum computation over its classical counterpart. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Birkhäuser Basel eBooks•Jan 1, 2001•0 citations

Tutorial

John P. Hayes

Over the last decade a new way to compute has been defined which, unlike conventional methods, is based on quantum mechanics rather than classical physics. This fundamental change in paradigm can, in principle, solve some important and hitherto intractable problems such as prime factorization of large numbers. This tutorial presentation will review the basics of quantum computation and the design of circuits to implement quantum algorithms. The starting point is the notion of a quantum bit or qubit. Because of the superposition property of quantum states, n qubits can store 2n numbers simultaneously, implying a type of massive parallelism. Furthermore, quantum states allow powerful forms of interaction such as entanglement that have no classical counterparts. Qubits are fragile, however, and are altered by measurement; hence quantum circuits must follow very different rules from classical ones. The differences between quantum and classical logic circuits will be discussed and illustrated. Finally, the physical implementation of quantum devices will be considered, along with the prospects for practical quantum computers.

ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference (DAC)•Jan 1, 2003•0 citations

Quantum Computing

Susan Loepp, William K. Wootters

Introduction In an ordinary computer, information is stored in a collection of tiny circuits each of which is designed to have two stable and easily distinguishable configurations: each represents a bit . In our study of quantum cryptography, we have seen how it can be useful to express information not in ordinary bits but in qubits . Whereas a bit can have only two values, say 0 and 1, a qubit can be in any quantum superposition of ∣0〉 and ∣1〉. Moreover, a qubit can be entangled with other qubits. Thus one might wonder whether a quantum computer, in which the basic elements for storing and processing information are qubits, can outperform an ordinary (classical) computer in certain ways. This question was addressed by researchers starting in the 1980s. In terms of practical consequences, perhaps the most dramatic answer has been given by Peter Shor in his 1994 factoring algorithm for a quantum computer, an algorithm that is exponentially faster than any known classical algorithm. As we have seen in Chapter 1, the difficulty of factoring a product of two large primes is the basis of the security of the RSA cryptosystem. So if one could build a large enough quantum computer – and there is no reason in principle why this could not be done – the RSA system would be rendered ineffective. In this chapter we present the basics of quantum computation and then focus on Shor's factoring algorithm.

Cambridge University Press eBooks•Jul 10, 2006•0 citations
This paper presents a quantum lattice gas method useful for nano-scale computing and quantum computing. There are several important issues that arise when one considers fabricating nano-scale computing devices, and these issues are different depending on the type of computing one expects to do at this scale. The first type of computing, introduced by Ed Fredkin, Tom Toffoli, and Norm Margolus would be classical computing where Boolean bits that have a definite value of either 0 or 1 are still employed and where all logical gate operations are represented by unitary permutation operators causing neither any quantum mechanical superposition nor any quantum entanglement. This kind of computing may best be termed nano-scale computing. A second type of computing, introduced by Richard Feynman has been termed quantum computing where two-level quantum objects, such as spin-1/2 particles, are used to represent quantum bits or "qubits" and where quantum superposition and entanglement are integral to the logical gate operations and are required for computational efficiency. The characteristic nature of a qubit is that it can be in a superposition of the Boolean states 0 and 1, prototypically the ground state and excited state of a two-level quantum system. In nano-scale computing, one tries to implement reversible classical algorithms whose logical gate operations are represented by orthogonal permutation matrices, which are a special class of unitary matrices. The author discusses various reasons why one is driven to develop reversible algorithms for nano-scale computing. He then discusses how quantum computing relies on quantum interference and entanglement over a system of qubits occurring in a controlled fashion. These qubits will likely be spin-1/2 objects. To date, only one important algorithm is known whose efficiency is based on quantum interference and entanglement: Shors' prime number factoring algorithm.
Summary form only given, as follows. Gives a system theoretic approach to the concept of quantum computing. A quantum computer is envisaged to be a system of quantum circuits, acting on a state space, which is a finite-say 2/sup n/-dimensional-complex Hilbert space. The circuitry is a sequence of unitary transforms U/sub t/ /spl epsiv/ SU(2/sup n/) followed by a measurement. These transforms, so-called quantum gates, are controlled by a classical computer, usually especially electromagnetic fields. The state space of a quantum computer has the structure of a Hermitian vector space. Thus it allows "simultaneous" superposition of orthogonal basis states (corresponding to classical states) with the possibility of constructive and destructive interference between different paths of computation. This principle allows the usage of so-called entangled states by preparing the superposition of special "bent" configurations of basis vectors in the product Hilbert space, e.g., as they are known from error control and cryptography. This latter "entanglement" not only promises to make a quantum computer much more powerful than a probabilistic one, but it also allows a method of parallelism. The reason for this lies not only in the fact that the 2/sup n/ dimensional Hilbert space is the n-fold tensor product of 2-dimensional spaces as it is given by spin-1/2-particles, like photons, representing a quantum bit. First of all, we shall address the fact that the power of quantum computing lies in the properties of entangled states as opposed to those of separable states which essentially would resemble classical circuits without giving the feature of exponential speed-up. We shall briefly describe possible physical realisations of quantum (optic, electronic, magnetic,...) devices allowing the engineering of Hamiltonians needed for quantum systems. Basic quantum gates, especially the quantum Horner-Toffoli gate will be discussed to display the principles and methodology for designing quantum circuits. An outlook towards the possible availability of nano- and mesoscopic technologies supporting this new architecture in future generations concludes based on a speculative worst/best case forecast of possible applications, e.g., in public key and conventional cryptography.
Quantum mechanics has proven its position as the primary theory for accurately describing microscopic domains. Numerous fields in physics utilize quantum mechanics to great effects, with one prominent application being quantum computing. Quantum computing extends the field of quantum mechanics to information theory, striving to perform computational tasks utilizing quantum phenomena with notably greater efficiency compared to classical alternatives. In this thesis, I will go through the basics required in the field of quantum computing. To understand quantum computing demands adapting a new type of matrix mechanical view. This involves considering Hilbert spaces, which are linear vector space having a well defined inner product. Hilbert spaces contain state vectors describing quantum states, as well as operators for altering and measuring these states. The dynamics of quantum systems are governed by three quantum postulates. These specify Hilbert spaces and state vectors as the fundamental components of quantum systems, Hermitian operators as providing the physical manifestation of these systems, and finally, the Schrödinger's equation to describe the time evolution of such systems. These notions are required in producing quantum computing. Quantum computing uses qubits as the computational basis, analogous to classical bits but with the added capability of quantum superposition. Qubits are represented as two-state vectors, and can be physically realized with any quantum-behaving binary-valued system, like the electron spins. Qubits can be combined into higher dimensional states with the use of tensor products, causing the system's Hilbert space to expand as 2^n with n being the number of qubits, allowing for exponential computational speedup. Computational logic can be constructed by acting on the qubits using unitary operators, known as quantum gates. The combinations of qubits and quantum gates can be visualized as quantum circuits, depicted using specialized circuit diagram notations. An essential part of quantum computing, and the phenomena enabling exponential computational speedup, is quantum entanglement. Entanglement arises in interacting qubits, intertwining them so that the individual states become correlated. Entanglement can be characterized by being unable to reduce a combined state into its pure constituents. The amount of entanglement in a system can be measured using von Neumann entropy, analogous to Shannon entropy in classical information theory. Entanglement serves various purposes in quantum computing and is a defining feature distinguishing it from the classical domain. In this thesis, the entanglement properties of a periodic four-qubit circuit with alternating quantum gates were simulated. The simulation was performed computationally, and measured entanglement entropy as a function of the amount of circuit periods. The results demonstrated different characteristics of entanglement depending on the parameters used for the quantum gates, with the entanglement either being periodic, non-occurring or chaotic in nature.
Quantum computing represents a fundamentally new paradigm in information processing, in which information is encoded and manipulated using two-level quantum systems known as qubits, whose evolution is governed by the principles of quantum mechanics. This chapter presents a structured introduction to the theoretical foundations of quantum computation, beginning with the limitations of classical computation and the physical constraints that motivate the need for a quantum model of computation. We develop the mathematical framework required to describe quantum information, introducing qubits as state vectors in Hilbert space and examining the roles of superposition, measurement, and unitary evolution. Single-qubit operations are presented through the Pauli and Hadamard gates, along with their geometric interpretation on the Bloch sphere. Building on this formalism, the discussion is extended to multi-qubit systems using tensor products, and quantum entanglement is introduced as a non-classical correlation fundamental to quantum information processing. The chapter then explores quantum algorithms, focusing on Grover’s unstructured search algorithm, to demonstrate how superposition, interference, and entanglement can be harnessed to achieve computational advantages over classical approaches. Finally, the chapter discusses applications of quantum computation, including quantum simulation, cryptography, search and optimization problems, and near-term hybrid quantum algorithms such as the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE)and the Quantum Approximate Optimization (QAO) Algorithm, highlighting their relevance in the noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) era.
Digital computers are based on devices that can take on only two states, one of which is denoted by 0 and the other by 1. By concatenating several 0s and is together, 0-1 combinations can be formed to represent as many different entities as desired. A combination containing a single 0 or 1 is called a bit. In general, n bits can be used to distinguish among 2 n distinct entities and each addition of a bit doubles the number of possible combinations. Computers use strings of bits to represent numbers, letters, punctuation marks, and any other useful pieces of information. In a classical computer, the processing of information is done by logic gate. A logic gate maps the state of its input bits into another state according to a truth table. Quantum computers require quantum logic, something fundamentally different to classical Boolean logic. This difference leads to a greater efficiency of quantum computation over its classical counterpart. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Over the last decade a new way to compute has been defined which, unlike conventional methods, is based on quantum mechanics rather than classical physics. This fundamental change in paradigm can, in principle, solve some important and hitherto intractable problems such as prime factorization of large numbers. This tutorial presentation will review the basics of quantum computation and the design of circuits to implement quantum algorithms. The starting point is the notion of a quantum bit or qubit. Because of the superposition property of quantum states, n qubits can store 2n numbers simultaneously, implying a type of massive parallelism. Furthermore, quantum states allow powerful forms of interaction such as entanglement that have no classical counterparts. Qubits are fragile, however, and are altered by measurement; hence quantum circuits must follow very different rules from classical ones. The differences between quantum and classical logic circuits will be discussed and illustrated. Finally, the physical implementation of quantum devices will be considered, along with the prospects for practical quantum computers.
Introduction In an ordinary computer, information is stored in a collection of tiny circuits each of which is designed to have two stable and easily distinguishable configurations: each represents a bit . In our study of quantum cryptography, we have seen how it can be useful to express information not in ordinary bits but in qubits . Whereas a bit can have only two values, say 0 and 1, a qubit can be in any quantum superposition of ∣0〉 and ∣1〉. Moreover, a qubit can be entangled with other qubits. Thus one might wonder whether a quantum computer, in which the basic elements for storing and processing information are qubits, can outperform an ordinary (classical) computer in certain ways. This question was addressed by researchers starting in the 1980s. In terms of practical consequences, perhaps the most dramatic answer has been given by Peter Shor in his 1994 factoring algorithm for a quantum computer, an algorithm that is exponentially faster than any known classical algorithm. As we have seen in Chapter 1, the difficulty of factoring a product of two large primes is the basis of the security of the RSA cryptosystem. So if one could build a large enough quantum computer – and there is no reason in principle why this could not be done – the RSA system would be rendered ineffective. In this chapter we present the basics of quantum computation and then focus on Shor's factoring algorithm.