Quantum information science is an interdisciplinary field that seeks to understand the analysis, processing, and transmission of information using
quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistr ...
principles. It combines the study of
Information science with
quantum effects in physics. It includes theoretical issues in computational models and more experimental topics in quantum physics, including what can and cannot be done with
quantum information. The term quantum information theory is also used, but it fails to encompass experimental research, and can be confused with a subfield of quantum information science that addresses the processing of quantum information.
Scientific and engineering studies
To understand
quantum teleportation,
quantum entanglement
Quantum entanglement is the phenomenon that occurs when a group of particles are generated, interact, or share spatial proximity in a way such that the quantum state of each particle of the group cannot be described independently of the state of ...
and the manufacturing of
quantum computer hardware requires a thorough understanding of quantum physics and engineering. Since 2010s, there has been remarkable progress in manufacturing
quantum computers, with companies like
Google
Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...
and
IBM investing heavily in
quantum computer hardware research. Today, it is possible to build a quantum computer with more than 100
qubit
In quantum computing, a qubit () or quantum bit is a basic unit of quantum information—the quantum version of the classic binary bit physically realized with a two-state device. A qubit is a two-state (or two-level) quantum-mechanical system, ...
s. However, the error rate is very large due to the lack of material suitable for the manufacture of quantum computers.
Majorana fermions may be one of the key materials lacking.
Devices for
quantum cryptography
Quantum cryptography is the science of exploiting quantum mechanical properties to perform cryptographic tasks. The best known example of quantum cryptography is quantum key distribution which offers an information-theoretically secure solution ...
have already been commercialized. There is an old cipher called a
one time pad widely used among spies in the
Cold War era. It uses a long sequence of random keys. If two people exchanged the same random keys safely, it is possible to decrypt a one time pad only by accident. However, key exchanging problems can be solved by using quantum entangled particle pairs in the exchange. Quantum mechanical laws such as the
no-cloning theorem In physics, the no-cloning theorem states that it is impossible to create an independent and identical copy of an arbitrary unknown quantum state, a statement which has profound implications in the field of quantum computing among others. The theore ...
and
wave function collapse
In quantum mechanics, wave function collapse occurs when a wave function—initially in a quantum superposition, superposition of several eigenstates—reduces to a single eigenstate due to interaction with the external world. This interaction is ...
provide the basis for secure exchange of random keys. Therefore the manufacturing of devices that can transport quantum entangled particles is an important scientific and engineering goal.
Programming languages
A programming language is a system of notation for writing computer programs. Most programming languages are text-based formal languages, but they may also be graphical. They are a kind of computer language.
The description of a programming ...
for quantum computers are also needed.
Qiskit,
Cirq and
Q Sharp
Q# (pronounced as ''Q sharp'') is a domain-specific programming language used for expressing quantum algorithms. It was initially released to the public by Microsoft as part of the Quantum Development Kit.
History
Historically, Microsoft Resear ...
are popular quantum programming languages.
Related mathematical subjects
Quantum algorithm and
quantum complexity theory are two of the subjects in
algorithm
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specifications for performing ...
s and
computational complexity theory. In 1994, mathematician
Peter Shor
Peter Williston Shor (born August 14, 1959) is an American professor of applied mathematics at MIT. He is known for his work on quantum computation, in particular for devising Shor's algorithm, a quantum algorithm for factoring exponentially f ...
published his
prime factorization algorithm. If one has a 4,000
logical qubits quantum computer, one can threaten most widely used ciphers such as
RSA and
ECC by using
Shor's algorithm. It can result in serious security problems for many countries. Therefore, his paper triggered a lot of investment in
quantum computing research. Many mathematicians and cryptologists are preparing to enter the
quantum computing era. See
post quantum cryptography
In cryptography, post-quantum cryptography (sometimes referred to as quantum-proof, quantum-safe or quantum-resistant) refers to cryptographic algorithms (usually public-key algorithms) that are thought to be secure against a cryptanalytic attack ...
.
See also
*
Glossary of quantum computing This glossary of quantum computing is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in quantum computing
Quantum computing is a type of computation whose operations can harness the phenomena of quantum mechanics, such as superposition, inter ...
*
Information theory
*
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistr ...
*
Quantum computing
*
Quantum error correction
*
Quantum information theory
Quantum information is the information of the quantum state, state of a quantum system. It is the basic entity of study in quantum information theory, and can be manipulated using quantum information processing techniques. Quantum information re ...
*
Quantum cryptography
Quantum cryptography is the science of exploiting quantum mechanical properties to perform cryptographic tasks. The best known example of quantum cryptography is quantum key distribution which offers an information-theoretically secure solution ...
and its generalization, quantum communication
*
Quantum communication complexity
*
Quantum entanglement
Quantum entanglement is the phenomenon that occurs when a group of particles are generated, interact, or share spatial proximity in a way such that the quantum state of each particle of the group cannot be described independently of the state of ...
, as seen from an information-theoretic point of view
*
Quantum dense coding
*
Quantum teleportation
*
Entanglement-assisted classical capacity
*
No-communication theorem
In physics, the no-communication theorem or no-signaling principle is a no-go theorem from quantum information theory which states that, during measurement of an entangled quantum state, it is not possible for one observer, by making a measurem ...
*
Quantum capacity
*
Quantum communication channel
*
Quantum decision tree complexity
*
Timeline of quantum computing and communication
References
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External links
Quantiki– quantum information science portal and wiki.
ERA-Pilot QIST WP1European roadmap on Quantum Information Processing and Communication
QIIC– Quantum Information, Imperial College London.
QIP– Quantum Information Group, University of Leeds. The quantum information group at the University of Leeds is engaged in researching a wide spectrum of aspects of quantum information. This ranges from algorithms, quantum computation, to physical implementations of information processing and fundamental issues in quantum mechanics. Also contains some basic tutorials for the lay audience.
mathQIResearch Group on Mathematics and Quantum Information.
CQISTCenter for Quantum Information Science & Technology at the University of Southern California
CQuICCenter for Quantum Information and Control, including theoretical and experimental groups from University of New Mexico, University of Arizona.
CQTCentre for Quantum Technologies at the National University of Singapore
CQC2TCentre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology
QST@LSUQuantum Science and Technologies Group at Louisiana State University
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