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Quantum Information and Computation

Image processing: why quantum?

Marius Nagy, Naya Nagy

Published Jun 1, 2020• 4 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Quantum Image Processing has exploded in recent years with dozens of papers trying to take advantage of quantum parallelism in order to offer a better alternative to how current computers are dealing with digital images. The vast majority of these papers define or make use of quantum representations based on very large superposition states spanning as many terms as there are pixels in the image they try to represent. While such a representation may apparently offer an advantage in terms of space (number of qubits used) and speed of processing (due to quantum parallelism), it also harbors a fundamental flaw: only one pixel can be recovered from the quantum representation of the entire image, and even that one is obtained non-deterministically through a measurement operation applied on the superposition state. We investigate in detail this measurement bottleneck problem by looking at the number of copies of the quantum representation that are necessary in order to recover various fractions of the original image. The results clearly show that any potential advantage a quantum representation might bring with respect to a classical one is paid for dearly with the huge amount of resources (space and time) required by a quantum approach to image processing.

DOI
10.26421/qic20.7-8-6

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Quantum Image Processing has exploded in recent years with dozens of papers trying to take advantage of quantum parallelism in order to offer a better alternative to how current computers are dealing with digital images. The vast majority of these papers define or make use of quantum representations based on very large superposition states spanning as many terms as there are pixels in the image they try to represent. While such a representation may apparently offer an advantage in terms of space (number of qubits used) and speed of processing (due to quantum parallelism), it also harbors a fundamental flaw: only one pixel can be recovered from the quantum representation of the entire image, and even that one is obtained non-deterministically through a measurement operation applied on the superposition state. We investigate in detail this measurement bottleneck problem by looking at the number of copies of the quantum representation that are necessary in order to recover various fractions of the original image. The results clearly show that any potential advantage a quantum representation might bring with respect to a classical one is paid for dearly with the huge amount of resources (space and time) required by a quantum approach to image processing.
Quantum Image Processing (QIP)is an exciting new field showing a lot of promise as a powerful addition to the arsenal of Image Processing techniques. Representing image pixel by pixel using classical information requires an enormous amount of computational resources. Hence, exploring methods to represent images in a different paradigm of information is important. In this work, we study the representation of images in Quantum Information. The main motivation for this pursuit is the ability of storing N bits of classical information in only log(2N) quantum bits (qubits). The promising first step was the exponentially efficient implementation of the Fourier transform in quantum computers as compared to Fast Fourier Transform in classical computers. In addition, images encoded in quantum information could obey unique quantum properties like superposition or entanglement.
Quantum image computing has attracted attention due to its vast storage and faster processing of image data than classical computers. Although classical computing power has grown substantially in the last decade, its abilities have plateaued, struggling to meet the needs of huge datasets. Quantum computers, on the other hand, take advantage of unique qualities like quantum parallelism, superposition, and entanglement to provide faster solutions to complicated problems. Managing huge image data in classical systems necessitates significant memory and hardware resources, which makes quantum computing a possible alternative. Several approaches have arisen for encoding and compressing classical images in the quantum processor. However, one of the most significant limitations is the complexity of quantum state preparation, which translates pixel coordinates to corresponding quantum circuits. Current approaches for representing large-scale images require a huge number of quantum resources including qubit, and qubit connection, which presents significant hurdles. Therefore, this article aims to overview the pixel intensity and state preparation circuit that needs fewer connections, i.e., quantum gates to represent quantum image data, and then explore and design effective compression and processing methods for medium and high-resolution images. This work specializes in emerging quantum models’ potential for enhancing image representation and compression capabilities. It also conducts a comprehensive study of quantum image representation and compression techniques, categorizing existing methods by grayscale and color image types and evaluating their methods, strengths, and limitations. It focuses on crucial difficulties, such as high qubit requirements and complex state preparation, that limit scalability for huge images. This paper also assesses each model’s compression efficacy, which will help future research focus on efficient circuit designs with lower complexity for medium to high-resolution images. It is an essential reference for advancing quantum image processing research since it provides a systematic framework for evaluating quantum image compression and representation algorithms.
We investigate the storage and retrieval of an image in a multi-particle quantum mechanical system. Several models are studied and compared with corresponding classical digital methods. We consider a situation in which qubits replace classical bits in an array of pixels and show several advantages. For example, we consider the situation in which 4 different values are randomly stored in a single qubit and show that quantum mechanical properties allow better reproduction of original stored values compared with classical (even stochastic) methods. The retrieval process is uniquely quantum (involves measurement in more than one bases). The independence and the finiteness of the stored copies of the image play an important role in the quantum protocol being better than the classical one. Other advantages of quantum storage of an image are found in its security.
Quantum computing has emerged as a transformative paradigm, with revolutionary potential in numerous fields, including quantum image processing and compression. Applications that depend on large scale image data could benefit greatly from parallelism and quantum entanglement, which would allow images to be encoded and decoded with unprecedented efficiency and data reduction capability. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the rapidly evolving field of quantum image compression, including its foundational principles, methods, challenges, and potential uses. The paper will also feature a thorough exploration of the fundamental concepts of quantum qubits as image pixels, quantum gates as image transformation tools, quantum image representation, as well as basic quantum compression operations. Our survey shows that work is still sparse on the practical implementation of quantum image compression algorithms on physical quantum computers. Thus, further research is needed in order to attain the full advantage and potential of quantum image compression algorithms on large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computers.
The arena of image processing is witnessing innovative and technologically advanced approaches which have significantly improved the process by multiple parameters. Due to its application in multiple sectors such as medicine, surveillance, satellite communication, automated vehicles etc., image processing has become one of the most sought-after technologies in computers. The motivation of this paper is to offer an in-depth contrast as well as analysis between Digital Image Processing and Quantum Image Processing concepts. This paper describes the elementary concepts of Digital Image Processing (DIP), core components of DIP including image filtering, padding, thresholding and connected components and fundamental steps of DIP. The process of sampling and quantization as well as the relationship between pixels is explained. A major area of focus in this paper is QIP (Quantum-Image-Processing) as well as the principles of quantum computing such as superposition, entanglement, and interference. Comparison between classical bits and qubits is also described. The paper elaborates Genetic Algorithms used for DIP and QIP algorithms such as FRQI(Flexible-Representation-of-Quantum-Images) and NEQR(Novel-Enhanced-Quantum-Representation). The paper concludes with key observations made during the study of DIP and QIP techniques and a fundamental understanding of suitability of the above-mentioned techniques depending on the problem statement.
This article explores the use of quantum computing for image processing and inversion. The advantages of quantum data processing methods over classical methods are analyzed. A quantum circuit can solve the fundamental image processing task of image inversion. The application of quantum NOT gates to alter pixel states corresponding to grayscale image values was investigated. It has been demonstrated that using amplitude angles to encode pixel values enables the efficient creation of quantum superposition on an image. The solution involved generating a negative of the image using the X-gate and the Hadamard operation. A quantum circuit was designed and tested on a simulator; an algorithm was also proposed for converting measurement results into a finalized image. The study highlights the advantages and disadvantages of the quantum approach, the linearity of transformations, and scalability prospects. Quantum image processing algorithms can enhance performance when handling large datasets.