Recent developments in quantum computation have made it clear that there is a lot more to computation than the conventional Boolean algebra. Is quantum computation the most general framework for processing information? Having gathered the courage to go beyond the traditional definitions, we are now in a position to answer: Certainly not. The meaning of a message being ``a collection of building blocks'' can be explored in a variety of situations. A generalised framework is proposed based on group theory, and it is illustrated with well-known physical examples. A systematic information theoretical approach is yet to be developed in many of these situations. Some directions for future development are pointed out.
Recent developments in quantum computation have made it clear that there is a lot more to computation than the conventional Boolean algebra. Is quantum computation the most general framework for processing information? Having gathered the courage to go beyond the traditional definitions, we are now in a position to answer: Certainly not. The meaning of a message being ``a collection of building blocks'' can be explored in a variety of situations. A generalised framework is proposed based on group theory, and it is illustrated with well-known physical examples. A systematic information theoretical approach is yet to be developed in many of these situations. Some directions for future development are pointed out.
Introduction Quantum information theory is the study of how the peculiar features of quantum mechanics can be exploited for the purposes of information processing and transmission. A central theme of such a study is the ways in which quantum mechanics opens up possibilities that go beyond what can be achieved classically. This has in turn led to a renewed interest in, and a new perspective on, the differences between the classical and the quantum. Although much of the work along these lines has been motivated by quantum information theory – and some of it has been motivated by the conviction that quantum theory is essentially about possibilities of information processing and transmission – the results obtained, and the frameworks developed, have interest even for those of us who are not of that conviction. Indeed, much of the recent work echoes, and builds upon, work that predates the inception of quantum information theory. The significance of such work extends beyond the setting of quantum information theory; the work done on distinguishing the quantum from the classical in the context of frameworks that embrace both is something worthy of the attention of anyone interested in the foundational issues surrounding quantum theory. One of the striking features of quantum mechanics lies in its probabilistic character. A quantum state yields, not a definite prediction of the outcome of an experiment, but a probability measure on the space of possible outcomes. Of course, probabilities occur also in a classical context.
Information and computation theory have undergone a spurt of new growth, and a renewal of their historic connection to basic physics, as they have expanded to treat the intact transmission and processing of quantum states, and the interaction of such 'quantum information' with traditional forms of information. We may wonder why this did not happen earlier, as quantum principles have long been accepted as fundamental to all of physics. Perhaps the founders of information and computation theory, such as Shannon, Turing and von Neumann, were too accustomed to thinking of information processing in macroscopic terms, not yet having before them the powerful examples of the genetic code and ever-shrinking microelectronics. Be that as it may, information until recently has largely been thought of in classical terms, with quantum mechanics playing a supporting role in the design of the equipment to process it, and setting limits on the rate at which it could be sent through certain channels. Now we know that a fully quantum theory of information and information processing offers, among other benefits, a brand of cryptography whose security rests on fundamental physics, and a reasonable hope of constructing quan- tum computers that could dramatically speed up the solution of certain mathematical problems. These benefits depend on distinc- tively quantum properties such as uncertainty, interference and entanglement. At a more fundamental level, it has become clear that an information theory based on quantum principles extends and completes classical information theory, just as complex numbers extend and complete the reals. Besides quantum generalizations of classical notions such as sources, channels and codes, the new theory includes two complementary, quantifiable kinds of information— classical information and quantum entanglement. Classical infor- mation can be copied at will, but can only be transmitted forward in time, to a receiver in the sender's forward light cone. Entanglement in contrast, cannot be copied, but can connect any two points in space-time. Conventional data processing operations destroy entanglement, but quantum operations can create it and use it for various purposes, such as speeding up certain classical computa- tions and assisting in the transmission of classical information or intact quantum states. Part of the new quantum information theory is the qualitative and quantitative study of entanglement, and its interactions with classical information. Any means, such as an optical fibre, of delivering quantum systems more or less intact from one place to another, may be viewed as a quantum channel. Unlike classical channels, which are well characterized by a single capacity, quantum channels have several distinct capacities, depending on what one is trying to use them for, and what auxiliary resources are brought into play. New effects involving quantum information continue to be discovered, not only in the traditional areas of computation, channel capacity, and cryptography, but in areas such as commu- nication complexity and game theory.
Over the past several decades, quantum information science has emerged to seek answers to the question: can we gain some advantage by storing, transmitting and processing information encoded in systems that exhibit unique quantum properties? Today it is understood that the answer is yes, and many research groups around the world are working towards the highly ambitious technological goal of building a quantum computer, which would dramatically improve computational power for particular tasks. A number of physical systems, spanning much of modern physics, are being developed for quantum computation. However, it remains unclear which technology, if any, will ultimately prove successful. Here we describe the latest developments for each of the leading approaches and explain the major challenges for the future. This review outlines the principles of operation of quantum computers and their elements. The theory of ideal computers that do not interact with the environment and are immune to quantum decohering processes is presented. Decohering processes in quantum computers are investigated. The review considers methods for correcting quantum computing errors arising from the decoherence of the state of the quantum computer, as well as possible methods for the suppression of the decohering processes. A brief enumeration of proposed quantum computer realizations concludes the review.
Quantum computing represents a transformative paradigm that leverages the principles of quantum mechanics, such as superposition and entanglement, to perform computations beyond the capabilities of classical systems. The development of efficient quantum algorithms and architectures relies heavily on robust mathematical frameworks, among which group theory plays a fundamental role. Group-theoretic structures provide a systematic way to describe symmetries, unitary transformations, and state evolution in quantum systems. In particular, unitary and special unitary groups govern the behavior of quantum gates, while representation theory enables the analysis of multi-qubit operations and composite systems. Moreover, group theory underpins several key aspects of quantum computing, including the design of quantum algorithms, error correction schemes, and cryptographic protocols. Notable algorithms such as Shor’s Algorithm and Grover’s Algorithm exploit algebraic structures to achieve computational advantages. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the interplay between group theory and quantum computing, highlighting fundamental concepts, major applications, and recent developments. The paper also identifies current challenges and outlines future research directions, thereby offering a consolidated resource for researchers in mathematics, physics, and quantum information science.
"Information is physical and any processing of information is always performed by physical means," an innocent-sounding statement, but its consequences are profound. When quantum effects become important, for example, at the level of single atoms and photons, the classical theory of computation becomes fundamentally inadequate. Entirely new modes of computation and information processing become possible. In the last few years there has been an explosion of theoretical and experimental research in quantum computation. In this brief review we describe some of these developments.
Using a process-theoretic formalism, we introduce the notion of a causal-inferential theory: a triple consisting of a theory of causal influences, a theory of inferences (of both the Boolean and Bayesian varieties), and a specification of how these interact. Recasting the notions of operational and realist theories in this mold clarifies what a realist account of an experiment offers beyond an operational account. It also yields a novel characterization of the assumptions and implications of standard no-go theorems for realist representations of operational quantum theory, namely, those based on Bell's notion of locality and those based on generalized noncontextuality. Moreover, our process-theoretic characterization of generalised noncontextuality is shown to be implied by an even more natural principle which we term Leibnizianity. Most strikingly, our framework offers a way forward in a research program that seeks to circumvent these no-go results. Specifically, we argue that if one can identify axioms for a realist causal-inferential theory such that the notions of causation and inference can differ from their conventional (classical) interpretations, then one has the means of defining an intrinsically quantum notion of realism, and thereby a realist representation of operational quantum theory that salvages the spirit of locality and of noncontextuality.