Reversible logic was originally proposed as a way to build classical computers with very low energy requirements. Its greatest impact so far has in fact been on the field of quantum computing, where it is used pervasively -- but for an entirely different purpose. Quantum interference effects offer the potential for speeding up certain classical calculations. But if state information is expelled from a quantum computer into the unmodeled environment -- as happens whenever an irreversible operation is performed -- then it becomes impossible to predict or control when interference will occur. Reversibility is necessary because it allows bits to be erased by uncomputing them rather than simply expelling them, preserving control over interference effects.
Reversible logic was originally proposed as a way to build classical computers with very low energy requirements. Its greatest impact so far has in fact been on the field of quantum computing, where it is used pervasively -- but for an entirely different purpose. Quantum interference effects offer the potential for speeding up certain classical calculations. But if state information is expelled from a quantum computer into the unmodeled environment -- as happens whenever an irreversible operation is performed -- then it becomes impossible to predict or control when interference will occur. Reversibility is necessary because it allows bits to be erased by uncomputing them rather than simply expelling them, preserving control over interference effects.
It has been realized that quantum computing is one of the latest technologies using reversible logic. It is observed that increasing growth of transistor density, power consumption will reach their limits in conventional technologies. In conventional Circuits during the logic operations bits of information is erased resulting dissipation of energy in significant amount. Thus, if Circuits are designed so that information bits can be preserved, the power use can be reduced. In case of reversible logic computation, the information bits are not lost. We can use reversible logic technology for minimizing the power consumption, heat dissipation, increasing speed etc. This paper describes various logic gates based on reversible logic like Toffoli, Peres, Fredkin, and Feynman etc. A comparative between classical and quantum logic gates is also given on various parameters along with limitations of conventional computing.
The relation between entropy and information has great significance for computation. Based on the strict reversibility of the laws of microphysics, Landauer (1961), Bennett (1973), Priese (1976), Fredkin and Toffoli (1982), Feynman (1985) and others envisioned a reversible computer that cannot allow any ambiguity in backward steps of a calculation. It is this backward capacity that makes reversible computing radically different from ordinary, irreversible computing. The proposal aims at a higher kind of computer that would give the actual output of a computation together with the original input, with the absence of a minimum energy requirement. Hence, information retrievability and energy efficiency due to diminished heat dissipation are the exquisite tasks of quantum computer technology.
Except for the NOT gate, all the other familiar classical gates are irreversible in the sense that we cannot uniquely reconstruct the input states from the output states. For example, OR, AND, NAND, NOR, etc. are irreversible. They all map a two-bit input state into a single bit output state. Thus one bit is erased during operation of each of these gates, and according to Landauer’s principle that requires dissipation of a minimum amount of energy. Now a simple question arises in our curious mind: Is it possible to avoid this loss of energy? The answer is yes. If we don’t erase any bit then we can circumvent this energy loss. Thus we need to map n bit input states to n bit output states. In addition, if a one-toone correspondence exists between the input states and the output states then only we will be able to uniquely reconstruct the input states from the output states. In such a case the gate is called reversible. For example, if we have f(00) = 00, f(01) = 10, f(10) = 01, f(11) = 11 then f represents a reversible gate. Quantum evolution operators are unitary so for every operator U we have an inverse operator U−1 = U†. Therefore, quantum evolution operators are the natural choice for the construction of energy efficient reversible gates. However, it is not the only choice. We can have classical reversible gates, too. Usually by reversible gates we refer to classical reversible gates, and quantum gates are specifically referred to as quantum gates. Reversible gates and quantum gates are similar but there exists a fundamental difference that reversible gates cannot accept superposition states (e.g. α|0〉 + β|1〉) as input states, whereas quantum gates can. Thus all quantum gates are essentially reversible but the converse is not true.
Quantum computing is emerging as a revolutionary paradigm in the field of computing, promising an exponential leap in computing power and problemsolving that challenges even the most advanced supercomputers of the classical era.At the heart of this revolution lies the peculiarity of the quantum world, where subatomic particles can exist in multiple states simultaneously, a phenomenon known as superposition, and entangle their states in a way that defies classical logic.It is this capacity for superposition and entanglement that gives quantum computing its disruptive power.One of the most intriguing properties of quantum computing is its ability to process information using Qubits, the quantum analogues of classical bits.While a classical bit can only be in a single 0 or 1 state, a Qubit can simultaneously represent a 0, a 1, or any superposition of these states, allowing multiple calculations to be performed in parallel.This massively parallel processing capability is the basis for the potential superiority of quantum computers over their classical counterparts in a wide range of applications.The architecture of quantum computers is inherently different from classical computers.While the latter use transistors to store and manipulate information in bits, quantum computers use Qubits, which can be implemented in a variety of physical systems, such as atoms, ion traps, photons, superconductors or nuclear magnetic resonance.The manipulation of the Qubits is carried out through quantum gates, fundamental operations that transform the quantum state of the Qubits and allow quantum calculations to be carried out.Furthermore, to maintain quantum coherence, the control and isolation of the quantum system from its environment is crucial, posing significant challenges in terms of designing and building scalable and robust quantum systems.
Abstract: Quantum computing is a modern calculation method that is based on the science of quantum mechanics. These phenomena include the bizarre behavior of particles at the atomic and subatomic levels, and the way that these particles can be in multiple states simultaneously. The field of computer science is a great mix of physics, math, and information theory. This technology provides high computing power, low power consumption, and exponential speed by controlling the behavior of small physical objects, such as atoms. Atoms, electrons, photons, etc. are all elements of the physical world. We would like to introduce the basics of quantum computing, and some of the ideas behind it. This article begins with the origins of the classical computer and discusses all the improvements and transformations that have been made due to its limitations thus far, then moves on to the basic operations of quantum computing and results in quantum properties such as superposition, entanglement, and interference.
After some remarks on the fundamental physical nature of information, Bennett and Fredkin’s ideas reversible computation are introduced. This leads to the suggestions of Benioff and Feynman as to the possibility of a new type of essentially ‘quantum computer’. If we happen to build such devices, Deutsch scientists showed that‘quantum parallelism’ leads to new algorithms and new complexity classes. This is dramatically illustrated by Shor's quantum algorithm for factorization which is polynomial in time in contrast to algorithms for factorization on a classical Turing computer. This discovery has potentially important implications for the security of many modern cryptographic systems. The fundamentals of quantum computing are then introduced - reversible logic gates, qubits and quantum registers. The key quantum property of ‘entanglement’ is described, with due homage to Einstein and Bell. As an illustration of a quantum program, Grover's database search algorithm is described in some detail. After all this theory, the status of experimental attempts to build a quantum computer is reviewed: it will become evident that we have a long way to go before we can factorize even small numbers. Finally, we end with some thoughts about the process of ‘quantum compilation’ - translating a quantum algorithm into actual physical operations on a quantum system - and some comments on prospects for future progress.