We present two complementary viewpoints for combining quantum computers and the foundations of quantum mechanics. On one hand, ideal devices can be used as testbeds for experimental tests of the foundations of quantum mechanics: we provide algorithms for the Peres test of the superposition principle and the Sorkin test of Born's rule. On the other hand, noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices can be benchmarked using these same tests. These are deep-quantum benchmarks based on the foundations of quantum theory itself. We present test data from Rigetti hardware.
We present a method to formulate the unit commitment problem in energy production as quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) problem, which can be solved by classical algorithms and quantum computers. We suggest a first approach to consider uncertainties in the renewable energy supply, power demand and machine failures. We show how to find cost-saving solutions of the UCP under these uncertainties on quantum computers. We also conduct a study with different problem sizes and we compare results of simulated annealing with results from quantum annealing machines.
The Harrow-Hassidim-Lloyd algorithm is intended for solving the system of linear equations on quantum devices. The exponential advantage of the algorithm comes with four caveats. We present a numerical study of the performance of the algorithm when these caveats are not perfectly matched. We observe that, between diagonal and non-diagonal matrices, the algorithm performs with higher success probability for the diagonal matrices. At the same time, it fails to perform well on lower or higher density sparse Hermitian matrices. Again, Quantum Support Vector Machine algorithm is a promising algorit…
The Continuous Spontaneous Localization (CSL) model is an alternative formulation of quantum mechanics which introduces a noise coupled non linearly to the wave function to account for its collapse. We consider CSL effects on quantum computers made of superconducting transmon qubits. As a direct effect CSL reduces quantum superpositions of the computational basis states of the qubits: we show the reduction rate to be negligibly small. However, an indirect effect of CSL, dissipation induced by the noise, also leads transmon qubits to decohere, by generating additional quasiparticles. Since the …
We study effects of the physical realization of quantum computers on their logical operation. Through simulation of physical models of quantum computer hardware, we analyze the difficulties that are encountered in programming physical realizations of quantum computers. Examples of logically identical implementations of the controlled-NOT operation and Grover's database search algorithm are used to demonstrate that the results of a quantum computation are unstable with respect to the physical realization of the quantum computer. We discuss the origin of these instabilities and discuss possibili…
The third law of thermodynamics, also known as the Nernst unattainability principle, puts a fundamental bound on how close a system, whether classical or quantum, can be cooled to a temperature near to absolute zero. On the other hand, a fundamental assumption of quantum computing is to start each computation from a register of qubits initialized in a pure state, i.e., at zero temperature. These conflicting aspects, at the interface between quantum computing and thermodynamics, are often overlooked or, at best, addressed only at a single-qubit level. In this work, we argue how the existence of…
The development of a large scale quantum computer is a highly sought after goal of fundamental research and consequently a highly non-trivial problem. Scalability in quantum information processing is not just a problem of qubit manufacturing and control but it crucially depends on the ability to adapt advanced techniques in quantum information theory, such as error correction, to the experimental restrictions of assembling qubit arrays into the millions. In this paper we introduce a feasible architectural design for large scale quantum computation in optical systems. We combine the recent deve…
Basic concepts of quantum theory of information, principles of quantum calculations and the possibility of creation on this basis unique on calculation power and functioning principle device, named quantum computer, are briefly reviewed. The main blocks of quantum logic, schemes of implementation of quantum calculations, as well as some known today effective quantum algorithms, called to realize advantages of quantum calculations upon classical, are concerned. Among them special place is taken by Shor's algorithm of number factorization, Grover's algorithm of unsorted database search and, fina…
The primary resource for quantum computation is Hilbert-space dimension. Whereas Hilbert space itself is an abstract construction, the number of dimensions available to a system is a physical quantity that requires physical resources. Avoiding a demand for an exponential amount of these resources places a fundamental constraint on the systems that are suitable for scalable quantum computation. To be scalable, the effective number of degrees of freedom in the computer must grow nearly linearly with the number of qubits in an equivalent qubit-based quantum computer.
Quantum computing is an emerging field of science which will eventually lead us to new and powerful logic devices with capabilities far beyond the limits of current transistor-based technology. There are certain types of problems which quantum computers can solve fundamentally faster than the tradition digital computers. There are quantum algorithms which require both superposition and entanglement (e.g. Shor algorithm). But neither the Grover algorithm nor the very first quantum algorithm due to Deutsch and Jozsa need entanglement. Is it possible to utilize classical wave superposition to spe…
With the advent of near-term quantum computers, the simulation of properties of solids using quantum algorithms becomes possible. By an adequate description of the system's Hamiltonian, variational methods enable to fetch the band structure and other fundamental properties as transition probabilities. Here, we use k$\cdot$p Hamiltonians to describe semiconductor structures of the III-V family and obtain their band structures using a state vector solver, a probabilistic simulator, and a real noisy-device simulator. The resulting band structures are in good agreement with the ones obtained by di…
Monte Carlo integration approximates an integral of a black-box function by taking the average of many evaluations (i.e., samples) of the function (integrand). For $N$ queries of the integrand, Monte Carlo integration achieves the estimation error of $O(1/ \sqrt{N})$. Recently, Johnston introduced quantum supersampling (QSS) into rendering as a numerical integration method that can run on quantum computers. QSS breaks the fundamental limitation of the $O(1/ \sqrt{N})$ convergence rate of Monte Carlo integration and achieves the faster convergence rate. We introduce yet another quantum numerica…
Decoherence is the major stumbling block in the realization of a large-scale quantum computer. Ingenious methods have been devised to overcome decoherence, but their success has been proven only for over-simplified models of system-environment interaction. Whether such methods will be reliable in the face of more realistic models is a fundamental open question. In this partly pedagogical article, we study two toy models of quantum information processing, using the language of \emph{quantum walks}. Decoherence is incorporated in 3 ways - by coupling to a noisy `projective measurement' system, a…
We use quantum computers to test the foundations of quantum mechanics through quantum algorithms that implement some of the experimental tests as the basis of the theory's postulates. These algorithms can be used as a test of the physical theory under the premise of a perfect hardware or as a test of the hardware under the premise that quantum theory is correct. In this paper, we show how the algorithms can be used to test the efficacy of a quantum computer in obeying the postulates of quantum mechanics. We study the effect of different types of errors on the results of experimental tests of t…
We use the benefits and components of classical computers every day. However, there are many types of problems which, as they grow in size, their computational complexity grows larger than classical computers will ever be able to solve. Quantum computing (QC) is a computation model that uses quantum physical properties to solve such problems. QC is at the early stage of large-scale adoption in various industry domains to take advantage of the algorithmic speed-ups it has to offer. It can be applied in a variety of areas, such as computer science, mathematics, chemical and biochemical engineeri…
We investigate if physical laws can impose limit on computational time and speed of a quantum computer built from elementary particles. We show that the product of the speed and the running time of a quantum computer is limited by the type of fundamental interactions present inside the system. This will help us to decide as to what type of interaction should be allowed in building quantum computers in achieving the desired speed.
Two-qubit gates are a fundamental constituent of a quantum computer and typically its most challenging operation. In a trapped-ion quantum computer, this is typically implemented with laser beams which are modulated in amplitude, frequency, phase, or a combination of these. The required modulation becomes increasingly more complex as the quantum computer becomes larger, complicating the control hardware design. Here, we develop a simple method to essentially remove the pulse-modulation complexity by engineering the normal modes of the ion chain. We experimentally demonstrate the required mode …
Quantum chemistry provides key applications for near-term quantum computing, but these are greatly complicated by the presence of noise. In this work we present an efficient ansatz for the computation of two-electron atoms and molecules within a hybrid quantum-classical algorithm. The ansatz exploits the fundamental structure of the two-electron system, and treating the nonlocal and local degrees of freedom on the quantum and classical computers, respectively. Here the nonlocal degrees of freedom scale linearly with respect to basis-set size, giving a linear ansatz with only $\mathcal{O}(1)$ c…
Recent development in quantum information sciences and technologies, especially building programmable quantum computers, provide us new opportunities to study fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics. We propose qubit models to emulate the quantum measurement process, in which the quantum information of a qubit is mapped to a collection of qubits acting as the measurement device. One model is motivated by single-photon detection and the other by spin measurement. Both models are scalable to generate Schrödinger cat-like state, and their corresponding quantum circuits are shown explicitly. Larg…
The first generation of quantum computers are on the horizon, fabricated from quantum hardware platforms that may soon be able to tackle certain tasks that cannot be performed or modelled with conventional computers. These quantum devices will not likely be universal or fully programmable, but special-purpose processors whose hardware will be tightly co-designed with particular target applications. Trapped atomic ions are a leading platform for first generation quantum computers, but are also fundamentally scalable to more powerful general purpose devices in future generations. This is because…
Recent progress in quantum information has led to the start of several large national and industrial efforts to build a quantum computer. Researchers are now working to overcome many scientific and technological challenges. The program's biggest obstacle, a potential showstopper for the entire effort, is the need for high-fidelity qubit operations in a scalable architecture. This challenge arises from the fundamental fragility of quantum information, which can only be overcome with quantum error correction. In a fault-tolerant quantum computer the qubits and their logic interactions must have …
Computer Science Challenges in Quantum Computing: Early Fault-Tolerance and Beyond
UCLA（加州大学洛杉矶分校）；UCSD（加州大学圣地亚哥分校）；University of Chicago（芝加哥大学）；Georgia Tech（佐治亚理工学院）；University of Michigan（密歇根大学）；Northwestern University（西北大学）；U Maryland（马里兰大学）；Columbia University（哥伦比亚大学）
Sandia National Laboratories（桑迪亚国家实验室）；DAMTP, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge（剑桥大学数学科学中心 DAMTP）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College（达特茅斯学院物理与天文学系）；Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science, University of Maryland（马里兰大学量子信息与计算科学联合中心）；School of Physics, University of Sydney（悉尼大学物理学院）；Department of Chemistry, Rice University（莱斯大学化学系）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University（莱斯大学物理与天文学系）；Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford（牛津大学计算机科学系）
One of the central problems in quantum mechanics is to determine the ground state properties of a system of electrons interacting via the Coulomb potential. Since its introduction by Hohenberg, Kohn, and Sham, Density Functional Theory (DFT) has become the most widely used and successful method for simulating systems of interacting electrons, making their original work one of the most cited in physics. In this letter, we show that the field of computational complexity imposes fundamental limitations on DFT, as an efficient description of the associated universal functional would allow to solve…
The power of quantum computers relies on the capability of their components to maintain faithfully and process accurately quantum information. Since this property eludes classical certification methods, fundamentally new protocols are required to guarantee that elementary components are suitable for quantum computation. These protocols must be device-independent, that is, they cannot rely on a particular physical description of the actual implementation if one is to qualify a block for all possible usages. Bell's theorem has been proposed to certify, in a device-independent way, blocks either …
Thermal properties of nanomaterials are crucial to not only improving our fundamental understanding of condensed matter systems, but also to developing novel materials for applications spanning research and industry. Since quantum effects arise at the nano-scale, these systems are difficult to simulate on classical computers. Quantum computers can efficiently simulate quantum many-body systems, yet current quantum algorithms for calculating thermal properties of these systems incur significant computational costs in that they either prepare the full thermal state on the quantum computer, or th…
The availability of a universal quantum computer will have fundamental impact on a vast number of research fields and society as a whole. An increasingly large scientific and industrial community is working towards the realization of such a device. An arbitrarily large quantum computer is best constructed using a modular approach. We present a blueprint for a trapped-ion based scalable quantum computer module which makes it possible to create a scalable quantum computer architecture based on long-wavelength radiation quantum gates. The modules control all operations as stand-alone units, are c…
Quantum computers promise vastly enhanced computational power and an uncanny ability to solve classically intractable problems. However, few proposals exist for robust, solid state implementation of such computers where the quantum gates are sufficiently miniaturized to have nanometer-scale dimensions. Here I present a new approach whereby a complete computer with nanoscale gates might be self-assembled using chemical synthesis. Specifically, I demonstrate how to self-assemble the fundamental unit of this quantum computer - a 2-qubit universal quantum controlled-NOT gate - based on two exchang…
In the effort to develop useful quantum computers simulating quantum machines with conventional computing resources is a key capability. Such simulations will always face limits preventing the emulation of quantum computers of substantial scale but by pushing the envelope as far as possible through optimal choices of algorithms and hardware the value of the simulator tool is maximized. This work reviews the state-of-the-art numerical simulation methods i.e. the classical algorithms that emulate quantum computer evolution under specific operations. We focus on the mainstream state-vector and te…
In this article, we propose a general principle of quantum interference for quantum system, and based on this we propose a new type of computing machine, the duality computer, that may outperform in principle both classical computer and the quantum computer. According to the general principle of quantum interference, the very essence of quantum interference is the interference of the sub-waves of the quantum system itself. A quantum system considered here can be any quantum system: a single microscopic particle, a composite quantum system such as an atom or a molecule, or a loose collection of…
Lloyd has considered the ultimate limitations physics places on quantum computers. He concludes in particular that for an ``ultimate laptop'' (a computer of one liter of volume and one kilogram of mass) the maximum number of operations per second is bounded by $10^{51}$. The limit is derived considering ordinary quantum mechanics. Here we consider additional limits that are placed by quantum gravity ideas, namely the use of a relational notion of time and fundamental gravitational limits that exist on time measurements. We then particularize for the case of an ultimate laptop and show that the…
The feasibility of computationally superior quantum computers is one of the most exciting and clear-cut scientific questions of our time. The question touches on fundamental issues regarding probability, physics, and computability, as well as on exciting problems in experimental physics, engineering, computer science, and mathematics. We propose three related directions towards a negative answer. The first is a conjecture about physical realizations of quantum codes, the second has to do with correlations in stochastic physical systems, and the third proposes a model for quantum evolutions whe…
Quantum error detection has always been a fundamental challenge in a fault-tolerant quantum computer. Hence, it is of immense importance to detect and deal with arbitrary errors to efficiently perform quantum computation. Several error detection codes have been proposed and realized for lower number of qubit systems. Here we present an error detection code for a (2n+1)-qubit entangled state using two syndrome qubits and simulate it on IBM's 16-qubit quantum computer for a 13-qubit entangled system. The code is able to detect an arbitrary quantum error in any one of the first 2n qubits of the (…
Quantum no-Hiding theorem, first proposed by Braunstein and Pati [Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 080502 (2007)], was verified experimentally by Samal et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 186, 080401 (2011)] using NMR quantum processor. Till then, this fundamental test has not been explored in any of the experimental architecture. Here, we demonstrate the above no-hiding theorem using the IBM 5Q quantum processor. Categorical algebra developed by Coecke and Duncan [New J. Phys. 13, 043016 (2011)] has been used for better visualization of the no-hiding theorem by analyzing the quantum circuit using the ZX calculus. T…
We briefly review what a quantum computer is, what it promises to do for us, and why it is so hard to build one. Among the first applications anticipated to bear fruit is quantum simulation of quantum systems. While most quantum computation is an extension of classical digital computation, quantum simulation differs fundamentally in how the data is encoded in the quantum computer. To perform a quantum simulation, the Hilbert space of the system to be simulated is mapped directly onto the Hilbert space of the (logical) qubits in the quantum computer. This type of direct correspondence is how da…
The fundamental problem of the transition from quantum to classical physics is usually explained by decoherence, and viewed as a gradual process. The study of entanglement, or quantum correlations, in noisy quantum computers implies that in some cases the transition from quantum to classical is actually a phase transition. We define the notion of entanglement length in $d$-dimensional noisy quantum computers, and show that a phase transition in entanglement occurs at a critical noise rate, where the entanglement length transforms from infinite to finite. Above the critical noise rate, macrosco…
Quantum computers are expected to offer substantial speedups over their classical counterparts and to solve problems that are intractable for classical computers. Beyond such practical significance, the concept of quantum computation opens up new fundamental questions, among them the issue whether or not quantum computations can be certified by entities that are inherently unable to compute the results themselves. Here we present the first experimental verification of quantum computations. We show, in theory and in experiment, how a verifier with minimal quantum resources can test a significan…
One of the fundamental theories of physics is that of quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics tries to explain the inconsistencies in the behaviors of systems at the macro and micro scales. Quantum mechanics paved the way for quantum computing based on qubits. The existence of quantum computers up to 65 qubits is known. The advent of quantum computers weakens the security of many cryptographic algorithms. In this paper, we investigate quantum computing-based attacks and shed light on possible future developments.
Uncovering the origin of the arrow of time remains a fundamental scientific challenge. Within the framework of statistical physics, this problem was inextricably associated with the second law of thermodynamics, which declares that entropy growth proceeds from the system's entanglement with the environment. It remains to be seen, however, whether the irreversibility of time is a fundamental law of nature or whether, on the contrary, it might be circumvented. Here we show that, while in nature the complex conjugation needed for time reversal is exponentially improbable, one can design a quantum…
While not yet in commercial existence, quantum computers have the ability to solve certain classes of problems that are not efficiently solvable on existing Turing Machine based (classical) computers. For quantum computers to be of use, methods of programming them must exist. Proposals exist for programming quantum computers, but all of the existing ones suffer from flaws that make them impractical in commercial software development environments. Cove is a framework for programming quantum computers that extends existing classical languages to allow for quantum computation, thus providing a qu…
The silicon-based quantum computer proposal has been one of the intensely pursued ideas during the past three years. Here we calculate the donor electron exchange in silicon and germanium, and demonstrate an atomic-scale challenge for quantum computing in Si (and Ge), as the six (four) conduction band minima in Si (Ge) lead to inter-valley electronic interferences, generating strong oscillations in the exchange splitting of two-donor two-electron states. Donor positioning with atomic scale precision within the unit cell thus becomes a decisive factor in determining the strength of the exchange…
We assume that space-time at the Planck scale is discrete, quantised in Planck units and "qubitsed" (each pixel of Planck area encodes one qubit), that is, quantum space-time can be viewed as a quantum computer. Within this model, one finds that quantum space-time itself is entangled, and can quantum-evaluate Boolean functions which are the laws of Physics in their discrete and fundamental form.
We present improved circuits intended for building a universal computer based on Random Pulse Computing (RPC) paradigm, a biologically-inspired way of computation in which variable is represented by a frequency of a Random Pulse Train (RPT) rather than a logic state. The RPC we mention here is also known as "stochastic unipolar computation" in newer literature. Unlike in previous art, where randomness is obtained from electronics noise or a pseudorandom shift register while processing circuitry is deterministic, in our approach both variable generation and signal processing rely on the random …
Investigating student interpretations of the differences between classical and quantum computers: Are quantum computers just analog classical computers?
Forthcoming exascale digital computers will further advance our knowledge of quantum chromodynamics, but formidable challenges will remain. In particular, Euclidean Monte Carlo methods are not well suited for studying real-time evolution in hadronic collisions, or the properties of hadronic matter at nonzero temperature and chemical potential. Digital computers may never be able to achieve accurate simulations of such phenomena in QCD and other strongly-coupled field theories; quantum computers will do so eventually, though I'm not sure when. Progress toward quantum simulation of quantum field…
The vision of a quantum internet is to fundamentally enhance Internet technology by enabling quantum communication between any two points on Earth. While the first realisations of small scale quantum networks are expected in the near future, scaling such networks presents immense challenges to physics, computer science and engineering. Here, we provide a gentle introduction to quantum networking targeted at computer scientists, and survey the state of the art. We proceed to discuss key challenges for computer science in order to make such networks a reality.
Since the introduction of quantum mechanics, it has been taught mostly as a theoretical subject. It is also viewed as a theory that provides a best understanding of the nature, but which does not have much practical applications in our day to day life. This notion has been considerably changed in the recent past with the advent of quantum information processing. Further, recently, IBM has introduced a set of quantum computers that are placed in the cloud and can be accessed freely from your class room though your mobile phones, PCs, Laptops having an internet connection. In this article, we wi…
The primordial model of quantum computation was introduced over thirty years ago and the first quantum algorithms have appeared for over twenty years. Yet the exact architectures for quantum computer seem foreign to an undergraduate student major in computer science or engineering, even though the mass media has helped popularize the terminologies in the past decade. Despite being a cutting-edge technology from both the theoretical and the experimental perspectives, quantum computation is indeed imminent and it would be helpful to give the undergraduate students at least a skeleton understandi…
Finite-temperature phases of many-body quantum systems are fundamental to phenomena ranging from condensed-matter physics to cosmology, yet they are generally difficult to simulate. Using an ion trap quantum computer and protocols motivated by the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA), we generate nontrivial thermal quantum states of the transverse-field Ising model (TFIM) by preparing thermofield double states at a variety of temperatures. We also prepare the critical state of the TFIM at zero temperature using quantum-classical hybrid optimization. The entanglement structure of t…
Quantum computing is a nascent technology, which is advancing rapidly. There is a long history of research into using computers for music. Nowadays computers are absolutely essential for the music economy. Thus, it is very likely that quantum computers will impact the music industry in time to come. This chapter lays the foundations of the new field of 'Quantum Computer Music'. It begins with an introduction to algorithmic computer music and methods to program computers to generate music, such as Markov chains and random walks. Then, it presents quantum computing versions of those methods. The…
