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Hardcover
236 Pages
236 Pages
Dimensions(cm)
25.5 x 19.5 x 1.7
25.5 x 19.5 x 1.7
Hardcover
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In the 1990's it was realized that quantum physics has some spectacular applications in computer science. This book is a concise introduction to quantum computation, developing the basic elements of this new branch of computational theory without assuming any background in physics.
It begins with an introduction to the quantum theory from a computer-science perspective. It illustrates the quantum-computational approach with several elementary examples of quantum speed-up, before moving to the major applications: Shor's factoring algorithm, Grover's search algorithm, and quantum error correction.
The book is intended primarily for computer scientists who know nothing about quantum theory, but will also be of interest to physicists who want to learn the theory of quantum computation, and philosophers of science interested in quantum foundational issues.
It evolved during six years of teaching the subject to undergraduates and graduate students in computer science, mathematics, engineering, and physics, at Cornell University.
It begins with an introduction to the quantum theory from a computer-science perspective. It illustrates the quantum-computational approach with several elementary examples of quantum speed-up, before moving to the major applications: Shor's factoring algorithm, Grover's search algorithm, and quantum error correction.
The book is intended primarily for computer scientists who know nothing about quantum theory, but will also be of interest to physicists who want to learn the theory of quantum computation, and philosophers of science interested in quantum foundational issues.
It evolved during six years of teaching the subject to undergraduates and graduate students in computer science, mathematics, engineering, and physics, at Cornell University.
Industry Reviews
'This is one of the finest books in the rapidly growing field of quantum information. Almost every page contains a unique insight or a novel interpretation. David Mermin has once again demonstrated his legendary pedagogical skills to produce a classic.' Lov Grover, Bell Labs '... will be a standard for instruction and reference for years to come. ... The book is suffused with Mermin's unique knowledge of the history of modern physics, and has some of the most captivating writing to be found in a college textbook.' David DiVincenzo, IBM T. J. Watson Research Center '... Mermin has always been an entertaining and comprehensible writer, and continues to be in this book. I expect it to become the definitive introduction to this material for non-physicists.' Peter Shor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology '... Mermin's lucid prose and gentle humor cajole [students] toward a sound intuition for what it all means, not an easy task for a subject superficially so counterintuitive.' Charles Bennett, IBM T. J. Watson Research Center '... what it treats, it treats extremely well, with rigor and attention to detail that reveals a deep understanding of the subject. ... Mermin's book adheres to a 'less is more' adage ... Particularly outstanding are the self-contained treatments of Shor's factoring algorithm and its number-theoretic background and the discussion of the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger puzzle illustrating the nonintuitive, nonlocal aspects of quantum mechanics. ... I truly hope that Mermin's book will nurture the next generations of scientists in their understanding of things quantum computational - or even just plain quantum.' Physics Today 'It is evident that the author has a great deal of experience communicating the subject matter. ... the text is both clear and engaging. It is also lightened, and enlightened, by the author's wry sense of humour. Far greater and more learned reviewers than I have heaped praise on this book, and deservedly so. All I can do is add my small voice to their chorus or recommendations. For anyone interested in quantum computer science, or just seeking an engaging read on a topic at the forefront of science, this text comes highly recommended.' Mathematics Today
| Preface | p. xi |
| A note on references | p. xv |
| Cbits and Qbits | p. 1 |
| What is a quantum computer? | p. 1 |
| Cbits and their states | p. 3 |
| Reversible operations on Cbits | p. 8 |
| Manipulating operations on Cbits | p. 11 |
| Qbits and their states | p. 17 |
| Reversible operations on Qbits | p. 19 |
| Circuit diagrams | p. 21 |
| Measurement gates and the Born rule | p. 23 |
| The generalized Born rule | p. 28 |
| Measurement gates and state preparation | p. 30 |
| Constructing arbitrary 1- and 2-Qbit states | p. 32 |
| Summary: Qbits versus Cbits | p. 34 |
| General features and some simple examples | p. 36 |
| The general computational process | p. 36 |
| Deutsch's problem | p. 41 |
| Why additional Qbits needn't mess things up | p. 46 |
| The Bernstein-Vazirani problem | p. 50 |
| Simon's problem | p. 54 |
| Constructing Toffoli gates | p. 58 |
| Breaking RSA encryption | p. 63 |
| Period finding, factoring, and cryptography | p. 63 |
| Number-theoretic preliminaries | p. 64 |
| RSA encryption | p. 66 |
| Quantum period finding: preliminary remarks | p. 68 |
| The quantum Fourier transform | p. 71 |
| Eliminating the 2-Qbit gates | p. 76 |
| Finding the period | p. 79 |
| Calculating the periodic function | p. 83 |
| The unimportance of small phase errors | p. 84 |
| Period finding and factoring | p. 86 |
| Searching with a quantum computer | p. 88 |
| The nature of the search | p. 88 |
| The Grover iteration | p. 89 |
| How to construct W | p. 94 |
| Generalization to several special numbers | p. 96 |
| Searching for one out of four items | p. 98 |
| Quantum error correction | p. 99 |
| The miracle of quantum error correction | p. 99 |
| A simplified example | p. 100 |
| The physics of error generation | p. 109 |
| Diagnosing error syndromes | p. 113 |
| The 5-Qbit error-correcting code | p. 117 |
| The 7-Qbit error-correcting code | p. 121 |
| Operations on 7-Qbit codewords | p. 124 |
| A 7-Qbit encoding circuit | p. 127 |
| A 5-Qbit encoding circuit | p. 128 |
| Protocols that use just a few Qbits | p. 136 |
| Bell states | p. 136 |
| Quantum cryptography | p. 137 |
| Bit commitment | p. 143 |
| Quantum dense coding | p. 146 |
| Teleportation | p. 149 |
| The GHZ puzzle | p. 154 |
| Appendices | p. 159 |
| Vector spaces: basic properties and Dirac notation | p. 159 |
| Structure of the general 1-Qbit unitary transformation | p. 168 |
| Structure of the general 1-Qbit state | p. 173 |
| Spooky action at a distance | p. 175 |
| Consistency of the generalized Born rule | p. 181 |
| Other aspects of Deutsch's problem | p. 183 |
| The probability of success in Simon's problem | p. 187 |
| One way to make a cNOT gate | p. 189 |
| A little elementary group theory | p. 193 |
| Some simple number theory | p. 195 |
| Period finding and continued fractions | p. 197 |
| Better estimates of success in period finding | p. 201 |
| Factoring and period finding | p. 203 |
| Shor's 9-Qbit error-correcting code | p. 207 |
| A circuit-diagrammatic treatment of the 7-Qbit code | p. 210 |
| On bit commitment | p. 216 |
| Index | p. 218 |
| Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved. |
ISBN: 9780521876582
ISBN-10: 0521876583
Published: 24th October 2007
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Number of Pages: 236
Audience: Professional and Scholarly
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: GB
Dimensions (cm): 25.5 x 19.5 x 1.7
Weight (kg): 0.68
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