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arXiv:quant-ph/9902027

Non-Mechanism in Quantum Oracle Computing

Giuseppe Castagnoli

Published Feb 8, 1999• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

A typical oracle problem is finding which software program is installed on a computer, by running the computer and testing its input-output behaviour. The program is randomly chosen from a set of programs known to the problem solver. As well known, some oracle problems are solved more efficiently by using quantum algorithms; this naturally implies changing the computer to quantum, while the choice of the software program remains sharp. In order to highlight the non-mechanistic origin of this higher efficiency, also the uncertainty about which program is installed must be represented in a quantum way.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.quant-ph/9902027

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A typical oracle problem is finding which software program is installed on a computer, by running the computer and testing its input-output behaviour. The program is randomly chosen from a set of programs known to the problem solver. As well known, some oracle problems are solved more efficiently by using quantum algorithms; this naturally implies changing the computer to quantum, while the choice of the software program remains sharp. In order to highlight the non-mechanistic origin of this higher efficiency, also the uncertainty about which program is installed must be represented in a quantum way.
We observe an enormous increase in the computational power of digital computers. This was due to the revolution in manufacturing processes and controlling semiconductor structures on submicron scale, ultimately leading to the control of individual atoms. Eventually, the classical electric circuits encountered the barrier of quantum mechanics and its effects. However, the laws of quantum mechanics can be also used to produce computational devices that lead to extraordinary speed increases over classical computers. Thus quantum computing becomes a very promising and attractive research area. The Computer Aided Design for Quantum circuits becomes an essential ingredient for such emerging research which may lead to these powerful computers to be realized—an era of Quantum computing. This thesis presents an integrated theoretical study of software algorithms to design circuits of quantum oracles as well as methods for designing quantum oracles for Grover algorithm to solve combinatorial problems. An implementation of quantum algorithm involves the initialization of the input state and its manipulation with quantum gates followed by the measurements. In Grover algorithm the problem to be solved is specified by a permutative logic oracle – the fundamental problem is then how to build this oracle from quantum logic circuits and how to optimize these circuits. These problems are NP-hard and require search algorithms. In future, the search will be also done in quantum and this thesis leads to quantum algorithms to design quantum circuits more efficiently.
Testing can be key to software quality assurance. Automated verification may increase throughput and reduce human fallibility errors. Test scripts supply inputs, run programs and check their outputs mechanically using test oracles. In software engineering implicit oracles automatically check for universally undesirable behaviour, such as the software under test crashing. We propose 4 properties (probability distributions, fixed qubit width, reversibility and entropy conservation) which all quantum computing must have and suggest they could be implicit test oracles for automatic, random, or fuzz testing of quantum circuits and simulators of quantum programs.
Quantum Computing is regarded with a growing sense of excitement and expectation. While the preliminary evidences of its practical interest accumulate, there are numerous challenges that must be addressed before quantum computing can reach generalized adoption and realize its full potential. One such challenge concerns assessing whether a quantum program is correct, namely in the sense that it implements the desired functionality. In the classical realm, program testing is a well-established approach to find defects in programs. While this approach should inspire quantum software development, porting classical testing techniques to the quantum world is by no means trivial. We propose a novel approach to test quantum programs. Our approach is based on the use of metamorphic relations, which allows us to overcome the well-known quantum measurement problem. We describe a series of exploratory experiments whose results provide evidence of the usefulness of our approach.
Oracle quantum programs are a fundamental class of quantum programs that serve as a critical bridge between quantum computing and classical computing. Many important quantum algorithms are built upon oracle quantum programs, making it essential to ensure their correctness during development. Although software testing is a well-established approach for improving program reliability, no systematic method has been developed to test oracle quantum programs. This paper proposes a black-box testing framework designed for general oracle quantum programs. We formally define these programs, establish the foundational theory for their testing, and propose a detailed testing framework. We develop a prototype tool and conduct extensive experimental evaluations to evaluate the effectiveness of the framework. Our results demonstrate that the proposed framework significantly aids developers in testing oracle quantum programs, providing insights to enhance the reliability of quantum software.
A signature scheme is a fundamental component in modern digital communication. It allows for authenticated messages, without which it would be nearly impossible to ensure security when using most modern technologies. However, there is a growing threat to this fundamental piece of electronic infrastructure. Universal quantum computers, which were originally envisioned by Richard Feynman, have moved from being a theoretical future technology into one that could realistically be available in a matter of decades. In 1994, Peter Shor devised an algorithm that would run on a quantum computer that could be used to solve mathematical problems that formed the foundation of public-key cryptography. \n \nWhile Shor's algorithm clearly establishes that new mathematical problems must be found and studied that can admit efficient cryptographic protocols, it is equally important that the models in which we consider security are also updated to consider the possibility of a malicious adversary having a quantum computer. \n \nIn the random-oracle model, a hash function is replaced by a truly random function that any relevant party is able to query. This model can enable security reductions where otherwise none are known. However, it has been noted that this model does not properly consider the possibility of a quantum computer. For this, we must instead consider the quantum random-oracle model. \n \nIn this thesis, we explain the basics of quantum physics and quantum computation in order to give a complete motivation for the quantum random-oracle model. We explain many of the difficulties that may be encountered in the quantum random-oracle model, and how some of these problems may be solved. We then show prove three signature schemes secure in the quantum random-oracle model: the LMS hash-based scheme, TESLA, a lattice-based scheme, and the TOO transformation using chameleon hashes. The first two schemes are strong candidates for post-quantum standardization.
Quantum algorithms are typically understood in terms of the evolution of a multi-qubit quantum system under a prescribed sequence of unitary transformations. The input to the algorithm prescribes some of the unitary transformations in the sequence with others remaining fixed. For oracle query algorithms, the input determines the oracle unitary transformation. Such algorithms can be regarded as devices for discriminating amongst a set of unitary transformations. The question arises: "Given a set of known oracle unitary transformations, to what extent is it possible to discriminate amongst them?" We investigate this for the Deutsch-Jozsa problem. The task of discriminating amongst the admissible oracle unitary transformations results in an exhaustive collection of algorithms which can solve the problem with certainty.