This paper systematically reviews the theoretical progression from blackbody radiation to the foundations of quantum computing. Beginning with Planck’s energy quantization and the representation of electromagnetic wave electric field components, the wave-particle duality of photons is analogized to introduce the de Broglie relation between momentum and wave vector for matter waves, leading to the establishment of the matter wave function and the Schrödinger equation as its governing partial differential equation. The consistency between the rigorous solution for a one-dimensional infinitely deep rectangular potential well and the conclusions for a one-dimensional hydrogen atom is demonstrated. Subsequently, within the Dirac notation formalism, the wave function is expressed, and the correspondence between spatial differentiation and momentum is derived, formalizing the momentum operator (often referred to as first quantization). To lay the physical groundwork for manipulating two-qubit states in quantum computing, the potential energy function of an electron’s orbital magnetic moment in an external magnetic field is introduced, starting from the torque and work on a current-carrying rectangular coil. This is extended to the magnetic moment and potential energy of a spinning electron, where the orientation of the magnetic field determines the form of the potential and accordingly selects the three components of the Pauli operators. The properties of quantum gates corresponding to the Pauli operators are then examined for single-qubit states. A two-qubit state, constructed via the coupling of two arbitrary single-qubit states represented in a two-level system or electron spin, is shown to be uniquely expressible as a superposition of four eigen two-qubit states. The paper further investigates joint manipulations of two-qubit states, including evolution under X and Z gates conditioned on high- and low-level states, the representation of control-flow circuits (with the low-level as control), and the formulation of measurement and CNOT gates. Throughout this work, essential mathematical tools—including integration, matrix operations, complex Euler’s formula, and solutions to simple second-order ordinary differential equations—are incorporated to provide a coherent theoretical framework for state representation and gate operations in quantum computing.
This paper systematically reviews the theoretical progression from blackbody radiation to the foundations of quantum computing. Beginning with Planck’s energy quantization and the representation of electromagnetic wave electric field components, the wave-particle duality of photons is analogized to introduce the de Broglie relation between momentum and wave vector for matter waves, leading to the establishment of the matter wave function and the Schrödinger equation as its governing partial differential equation. The consistency between the rigorous solution for a one-dimensional infinitely deep rectangular potential well and the conclusions for a one-dimensional hydrogen atom is demonstrated. Subsequently, within the Dirac notation formalism, the wave function is expressed, and the correspondence between spatial differentiation and momentum is derived, formalizing the momentum operator (often referred to as first quantization). To lay the physical groundwork for manipulating two-qubit states in quantum computing, the potential energy function of an electron’s orbital magnetic moment in an external magnetic field is introduced, starting from the torque and work on a current-carrying rectangular coil. This is extended to the magnetic moment and potential energy of a spinning electron, where the orientation of the magnetic field determines the form of the potential and accordingly selects the three components of the Pauli operators. The properties of quantum gates corresponding to the Pauli operators are then examined for single-qubit states. A two-qubit state, constructed via the coupling of two arbitrary single-qubit states represented in a two-level system or electron spin, is shown to be uniquely expressible as a superposition of four eigen two-qubit states. The paper further investigates joint manipulations of two-qubit states, including evolution under X and Z gates conditioned on high- and low-level states, the representation of control-flow circuits (with the low-level as control), and the formulation of measurement and CNOT gates. Throughout this work, essential mathematical tools—including integration, matrix operations, complex Euler’s formula, and solutions to simple second-order ordinary differential equations—are incorporated to provide a coherent theoretical framework for state representation and gate operations in quantum computing.
Chapter 4 deals with Quantum Mechanical (QM) phenomena. The first section describes the first attempts at quantization of energy, momentum, angular momentum, etc. We start with Plank's solution to the black-body problem, introducing the concept of photons: discrete packets of electromagnetic energy. We show how Plank's description of black-body radiation is perfectly fit by the cosmic microwave radiation, providing the strongest evidence for the Big-Bang at the origin of the Universe. We then describe Bohr's solution to the paradoxical stability of atoms, introducing quantization of angular momentum (or action) and correctly predicting the energy levels of the hydrogen atom. We show how Einstein used Plank's idea to explain the photo-electric effect (an effect exploited in CCD cameras and solar cells) and how he used Bohr's understanding of energy levels in atoms to provide an intuitive explanation of Plank's law. Einstein insight opened the way to the field of spectroscopy and the development of the laser. In the second section, following the lead of Dirac, we show that QM is equivalent to Linear Algebra in the space of complex functions (which describe the state of the system). We show that Schrödinger's equation is a natural consequence of that description, once the relation between energy and frequency established by Plank (for photons) and de Broglie (for particles) is taken into account. In the context of the chiral ammonia molecule we discuss the queerness of QM which describes physical systems as superposition of states (such as left and right chirality state of a molecule, dead and alive cat). We show that this queerness is nonetheless supported by experiments and is behind much of our technology: masers and lasers, atomic clocks, semiconductors (diodes, transistors, etc.). In the following section we introduce the representation of operators in QM (the equivalent of matrices in linear algebra): momentum, position, energy, etc. which correspond to measurements on the system. We show that the non-commutability of some operators (common with matrix operations) leads to Heisenberg uncertainty principle: the position and momentum of a particle cannot be determined with absolute precision. We discuss the solution of Schrödinger's equation for free particles demonstrating their equivalence with EM phenomena: particles undergo refraction and diffraction, exemplifying the particle/wave duality inherent to QM systems. We discuss QM tunneling and its use in the Scanning Tunneling Microscope. In the following section we study Dirac's equation: the successful attempt by Dirac to unify QM with Einstein's relativity, with the resulting prediction of anti-particles and spin. We then solve for the energy levels of electrons in the hydrogen atom (from Schrödinger's equation) and show that the existence of spin profoundly affects the behavior of electrons in an atom: they cannot share the same energy level, a rule known as Pauli's exclusion principle. Pauli's principle is central to the understanding of the chemical properties of atoms and fully explains Mendeleev's periodic table of the elements. In the next section we discuss along with two exactly soluble systems (diatomic rotational and vibrational levels), various approximations used to study systems (e.g. molecules) for which there are no analytical solutions. In particular, we introduce Pauling's variational approach, Hückel molecular orbital theory and time independent perturbation theory. We apply those approaches to determine the energy levels in alkenes, in multi-electron atoms and in systems under constant electric or magnetic field (such as in Magnetic Resonance Imaging). In the last section we discuss time dependent perturbation theory. We use it to establish the rules allowing for transitions between energy levels and revisit Einstein description of absorption/emission phenomena.
A systematic description of a spin one-half system endowed with magnetic moment or any other two-level system (qubit) interacting with the quantized electromagnetic field is developed. This description exploits a close analogy between a two-level system and the Dirac electron that comes to light when the two-level system is described within the formalism of second quantization in terms of fermionic creation and annihilation operators. The analogy enables one to introduce all the powerful tools of relativistic QED (albeit in a greatly simplified form). The Feynman diagrams and the propagators turn out to be very useful. In particular, the QED concept of the vacuum polarization finds its close counterpart in the photon scattering off a two level system leading via the linear response theory to the general formulas for the atomic polarizability and the dynamic single spin susceptibility. To illustrate the usefulness of these methods, we calculate the polarizability and susceptibility up to the fourth order of perturbation theory. These ab initio calculations resolve some ambiguities concerning the sign prescription and the optical damping that arise in the phenomenological treatment. We also show that the methods used to study two-level systems (qubits) can be extended to many-level systems (qudits). As an example, we describe the interaction with the quantized electromagnetic field of an atom with four relevant states: one S state and three degenerate P states.
This chapter provides a foundational overview of the physics essential to understanding quantum computing. It begins with atomic structure and the stability challenges posed by classical models, leading to Planck's quantization and the resolution of blackbody radiation. Einstein's photoelectric effect and Bohr's quantized orbits introduced discrete energy levels, later refined through quantum probability, half-life, and spectral transitions. The chapter details the shift from deterministic to probabilistic physics, introducing quantum numbers, the Pauli Exclusion Principle, and electron spin. It distinguishes fermions and bosons by spin statistics and explores Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and Schrödinger's wave function. Dirac's theory of antimatter is introduced through energy equations. The role of the strong nuclear force, quantum tunneling, and the implications for modern chip design are discussed. The double slit experiment illustrates superposition, interference, and the collapse of the wave function—concepts central to quantum computing. The chapter bridges quantum mechanics to computing by connecting atomic behavior to qubit operations.
This paper investigates the core principles of quantum computation, providing an in-depth understanding of quantum phenomena and illustrating how these principles form the scientific foundation of the field. The pivotal physical concepts, such as properties of subatomic particles, including electrons and photons, as well as their mathematical description through linear algebra are examined. It focuses on the qubit, the quantum analogue of a classical bit, featuring properties like superposition, entanglement, and wave function collapse, which redefine the traditional concept of information processing. The mathematical structures that underlie quantum system modelling—vector spaces, tensor products, and Dirac notation—are also systematically explained. Essential components of quantum computation involve logic gates such as Pauli matrices and Hadamard gates, which demonstrate the novel application of qubits in unique ways. This sets up an important theme of the interdependence and potential for transformation of quantum states through the illustration of advanced ideas of quantum entanglement and teleportation. Quantum circuits serve as an outstanding example of how reversibility and superposition are exploited to solve complex problems at unprecedented levels of efficiency. The paper also highlights the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm as a compelling example of quantum superiority over traditional computational approaches. Together, these findings emphasize the transformative potential of quantum computing for science and industry.
Physical processes are usually described using four-dimensional vector quantities - coordinate vector, momentum vector, current vector. But at the fundamental level they are characterized by spinors - coordinate spinors, momentum spinors, spinor wave functions. The propagation of fields and their interaction takes place at the spinor level, and since each spinor uniquely corresponds to a certain vector, the results of physical processes appear before us in vector form. For example, the relativistic Schrödinger equation and the Dirac equation are formulated by means of coordinate vectors, momentum vectors and quantum operators corresponding to them. In the Dirac equation a step forward is taken and the wave function is a spinor with complex components, but still coordinates and momentum are vectors. For a closed description of nature using only spinor quantities, it is necessary to have an equation similar to the Dirac equation in which momentum, coordinates and operators are spinors. It is such an equation that is presented in this paper. Using the example of the interaction between an electron and an electromagnetic field, we can see that the spinor equation contains more detailed information about the interaction than the vector equations. This is not new for quantum mechanics, since it describes interactions using complex wave functions, which cannot be observed directly, and only when measured goes to probabilities in the form of squares of the moduli of the wave functions. In the same way spinor quantities are not observable, but they completely determine observable vectors. In Section 2 of the paper, we analyze the quadratic form for an arbitrary four-component complex vector based on Pauli matrices. The form is invariant with respect to Lorentz transformations including any rotations and boosts. The invariance of the form allows us to construct on its basis an equation for a free particle combining the properties of the relativistic wave equation and the Dirac equation. For an electron in the presence of an electromagnetic potential it is shown that taking into account the commutation relations between the momentum and coordinate components allows us to obtain from this equation the known results describing the interactions of the electron spin with the electric and magnetic field. In the presence of a potential the momentum components cease to commute with each other. To neutralize this effect, the Schrödinger equation is supplemented by several equations with mixed partial derivatives on coordinates. In section 3 of the paper this quadratic form is expressed through momentum spinors, which makes it possible to obtain an equation for the spinor wave function in spinor coordinate space by replacing the momentum spinor components by partial derivative operators on the corresponding coordinate spinor component. Section 4 presents a modification of the theory of the path integral, which consists in considering the path integral in the spinor coordinate space. The Lagrangian densities for the scalar field and for the electron field, along with their corresponding propagators, are presented. An equation of motion for the electron is proposed that is relativistically invariant, in contrast to the Dirac equation, which lacks this invariance. This novel equation permitted the construction of an actually invariant procedure for the second quantization of the fermion field in spinor coordinate space. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the field operators are a combination of plane waves in spinor or vector space, with the coefficients of which being pseudospinors or pseudovectors. Each of these pseudovectors or pseudospinors corresponds to one of the particles presented in the theory of electrodynamics. Furthermore, each plane wave possesses an additional coefficient in the form of a creation or annihilation operator. In vector space, these operators commute, whereas in spinor space they anticommutate. The paper presents the spinor and vector representations of the field operators in explicit form, comprising sets of 16 pseudospinors or 4 pseudovectors corresponding to particles represented in electrodynamics. An explicit form of the symmetric traceless tensor with spin two, zero mass and two polarizations is presented, which can serve as a model of the graviton. The results obtained may prompt changes in some aspects of the construction of Feynman diagrams. Among other things, it presents a purely mathematical derivation of Maxwell's inhomogeneous equations without reference to empirical data on the action of electric current, which is usually referred to when deriving equations. Section 4 presents Einstein's inhomogeneous equation, which features the Riemann tensor rather than the Ricci tensor, with the energy-momentum tensor having four indices rather than two.
In the 1920s, the old quantum theory was gradually being superseded by the new quantum theory. The cornerstone of the old theory was Bohr’s model of the hydrogen atom, which predicted that an electron cannot orbit the proton in the hydrogen atom in any arbitrary fashion. Orbits are “quantized,” meaning that only certain sizes, shapes, and magnetic properties are allowed. The principal quantum number n determined the allowed radii of the orbits, the orbital quantum number l determined the allowed shapes, and the magnetic quantum number m determined the magnetic behavior. Additionally, there is a fourth quantum number s which denotes the fact that the electron has an additional angular momentum, loosely associated with self rotation about its own axis, and that is quantized in units of (1/2)~. The old quantum theory was useful to infer the existence of discrete energy levels in atoms, calculate energy spacings between these levels, and therefore allowed one to interpret atomic spectra. The new quantum theory appeared to be more revolutionary and more powerful. It was triggered by Heisenberg’s discovery of matrix mechanics and Schro¨dinger’s discovery of wave mechanics. These two formalisms would not only predict the quantization of energy and provide a prescription to determine the energy difference between the levels (and thus explain the multiplicity of atomic spectra), but also allow one to calculate easily probabilities of transitions between different quantized energy states. At first, matrix mechanics and wave mechanics looked entirely different in their mathematical appearance and physical meaning. However, Schro¨dinger and Eckart [1] independently showed that the two theories are mathematically equivalent. Toward the end of 1926, Dirac unified the two theories using the concept of state vector and thus established the transformation theory of quantum mechanics. This ultimately had a profound implication for the quantum mechanical (mathematical) recipe to treat spin, as we will show in this chapter. The transformation theory is the mathematical recipe to handle modern quantum mechanics. In Heisenberg’s matrix mechanics, a physical quantity is expressed by a matrix, whereas in Schro¨dinger’s wave mechanics, a physical quantity is expressed by a linear operator. In the unified transformation theory, physical quantities are represented by abstract linear operators called Dirac’s q-numbers, which are linear operators in an infinite-dimensional linear space. Depending upon which types of orthogonal coordinate systems are used in this linear space, either matrix mechanics or wave mechanics emerges.