Quantum Computing: A Gentle Introduction

Eleanor G. Rieffel, Wolfgang H. Polak

MIT Press, Aug 29, 2014 - Computers - 388 pages

A thorough exposition of quantum computing and the underlying concepts of quantum physics, with explanations of the relevant mathematics and numerous examples.

The combination of two of the twentieth century's most influential and revolutionary scientific theories, information theory and quantum mechanics, gave rise to a radically new view of computing and information. Quantum information processing explores the implications of using quantum mechanics instead of classical mechanics to model information and its processing. Quantum computing is not about changing the physical substrate on which computation is done from classical to quantum but about changing the notion of computation itself, at the most basic level. The fundamental unit of computation is no longer the bit but the quantum bit or qubit.

This comprehensive introduction to the field offers a thorough exposition of quantum computing and the underlying concepts of quantum physics, explaining all the relevant mathematics and offering numerous examples. With its careful development of concepts and thorough explanations, the book makes quantum computing accessible to students and professionals in mathematics, computer science, and engineering. A reader with no prior knowledge of quantum physics (but with sufficient knowledge of linear algebra) will be able to gain a fluent understanding by working through the book.

Contents

• QUANTUM BUILDING BLOCKS: 7
• MultipleQubit Systems: 31
• Measurement of MultipleQubit States: 47
• Quantum State Transformations: 71
• Quantum Versions of Classical Computations: 99
• Introduction to Quantum Algorithms: 125
• Shors Algorithm: 163
• Grovers Algorithm and Generalizations: 177
• Quantum Subsystems and Properties of Entangled States: 205
• Quantum Error Correction: 245
• Fault Tolerance and Robust Quantum Computing: 293
• Further Topics in Quantum Information Processing: 311
• A Some Relations Between Quantum Mechanics and Probability Theory: 331
• B Solving the Abelian Hidden Subgroup Problem: 341
• Bibliography: 353
• Notation Index: 365

About the author

Eleanor Rieffel is Research Scientist at NASA Ames Research Center.

Wolfgang Polak is a computer science consultant.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Quantum Computing: A Gentle Introduction; Scientific and Engineering Computation
• Authors: Eleanor G. Rieffel, Wolfgang H. Polak
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: MIT Press, 2014
• ISBN: 0262526670, 9780262526678
• Length: 388 pages
• Subjects: Computers / Computer Engineering; Computers / Quantum Computing; Science / Physics / Quantum Theory