Quantum Computation and Quantum Information: 10th Anniversary Edition

710 Pages·2011·6.03 MB·English

by  Michael A. Nielsen

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QuantumComputationandQuantumInformation
10thAnniversaryEdition
Oneofthemostcitedbooksinphysicsofalltime,QuantumComputationandQuantum
Informationremainsthebesttextbookinthisexcitingfieldofscience.This10th
AnniversaryEditionincludesanewIntroductionandAfterwordfromtheauthors
settingtheworkincontext.
Thiscomprehensivetextbookdescribessuchremarkableeffectsasfastquantum
algorithms,quantumteleportation,quantumcryptography,andquantum
error-correction.Quantummechanicsandcomputerscienceareintroduced,before
movingontodescribewhataquantumcomputeris,howitcanbeusedtosolveproblems
fasterthan“classical”computers,anditsreal-worldimplementation.Itconcludeswith
anin-depthtreatmentofquantuminformation.
Containingawealthoffiguresandexercises,thiswell-knowntextbookisidealfor
coursesonthesubject,andwillinterestbeginninggraduatestudentsandresearchersin
physics,computerscience,mathematics,andelectricalengineering.
MICHAELNIELSENwaseducatedattheUniversityofQueensland,andasaFulbright
ScholarattheUniversityofNewMexico.HeworkedatLosAlamosNational
Laboratory,astheRichardChaceTolmanFellowatCaltech,wasFoundationProfessor
ofQuantumInformationScienceandaFederationFellowattheUniversityof
Queensland,andaSeniorFacultyMemberatthePerimeterInstituteforTheoretical
Physics.HeleftPerimeterInstitutetowriteabookaboutopenscienceandnowlivesin
Toronto.
ISAACCHUANGisaProfessorattheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology,jointly
appointedinElectricalEngineering&ComputerScience,andinPhysics.Heleadsthe
quantaresearchgroupattheCenterforUltracoldAtoms,intheMITResearch
LaboratoryofElectronics,whichseekstounderstandandcreateinformationtechnology
andintelligencefromthefundamentalbuildingblocksofphysicalsystems,atoms,and
molecules.
Inpraiseofthebook10yearsafterpublication
Tenyearsafteritsinitialpublication,“MikeandIke”(asit’saffectionatelycalled)remainsthequantum
computingtextbooktowhichallothersarecompared.Nootherbookinthefieldmatchesitsscope:
fromexperimentalimplementationtocomplexityclasses,fromthephilosophicaljustificationsforthe
Church-TuringThesistothenitty-grittyofbra/ketmanipulation.Adog-earedcopysitsonmydesk;
thesectionontracedistanceandfidelityalonehasbeenworthmanytimesthepriceofthebooktome.
ScottAaronson,MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology
Quantuminformationprocessinghasbecomeahugeinterdisciplinaryfieldattheintersectionofboth,
theoreticalandexperimentalquantumphysics,computerscience,mathematics,quantumengineering
and,morerecently,evenquantummetrology.ThebookbyMichaelNielsenandIsaacChuangwas
seminal in many ways: it paved the way for a broader, yet deep understanding of the underlying
science,itintroducedacommonlanguagenowwidelyusedbyagrowingcommunityanditbecame
thestandardbookinthefieldforawholedecade.Inspiteofthefastprogressinthefield,evenafter
10yearsthebookprovidesthebasicintroductionintothefieldforstudentsandscholarsalikeand
the 10th anniversary edition will remain a bestseller for a long time to come. The foundations of
quantumcomputationandquantuminformationprocessingareexcellentlylaidoutinthisbookand
italsoprovidesanoverviewoversomeexperimentaltechniquesthathavebecomethetestingground
forquantuminformationprocessingduringthelastdecade.Inviewoftherapidprogressofthefield
thebookwillcontinuetobeextremelyvaluableforallenteringthishighlyinterdisciplinaryresearch
areaanditwillalwaysprovidethereferenceforthosewhogrewupwithit.Thisisanexcellentbook,
wellwritten,highlycommendable,andinfactimperativeforeverybodyinthefield.
RainerBlatt,Universtita¨tInnsbruck
Mywell-perusedcopyofNielsenandChuangis,asalways,closeathandasIwritethis.Itappears
thatthematerialthatMikeandIkechosetocover,whichwasalot,hasturnedouttobealargeportion
ofwhatwillbecometheeternalveritiesofthisstill-youngfield.Whenanotherresearcherasksmeto
giveheraclearexplanationofsomeimportantpointofquantuminformationscience,Ibreatheasigh
ofreliefwhenIrecallthatitisinthisbook–myjobiseasy,Ijustsendherthere.
DavidDiVincenzo,IBMT.J.WatsonResearchCenter
Ifthereisanythingyouwanttoknow,orremindyourself,aboutquantuminformationscience,then
looknofurtherthanthiscomprehensivecompendiumbyIkeandMike.Whetheryouareanexpert,a
studentoracasualreader,tapintothistreasurechestofusefulandwellpresentedinformation.
ArturEkert,MathematicalInstitute,UniversityofOxford
NearlyeverychildwhohasreadHarryPotterbelievesthatifyoujustsaytherightthingordothe
rightthing,youcancoercemattertodosomethingfantastic.Butwhatadultwouldbelieveit?Until
quantum computation and quantum information came along in the early 1990s, nearly none. The
quantumcomputeristhePhilosopher’sStoneofourcentury,andNielsenandChuangisourbasic
bookofincantations.Tenyearshavepassedsinceitspublication,anditisasbasictothefieldasit
everwas.Matterwilldowonderfulthingsifaskedto,butwemustfirstunderstanditslanguage.No
bookwrittensince(therewasnobefore)doesthejobofteachingthelanguageofquantumtheory’s
possibilitieslikeNielsenandChuang’s.
ChrisFuchs,PerimeterInstituteforTheoreticalPhysics
NielsenandChuangisthebibleofthequantuminformationfield.Itappeared10yearsago,yeteven
thoughthefieldhaschangedenormouslyinthese10years-thebookstillcoversmostoftheimportant
conceptsofthefield.
LovGrover,BellLabs
QuantumComputationandQuantumInformation,commonlyreferredtoas“MikeandIke,”continues
tobeamostvaluableresourceforbackgroundinformationonquantuminformationprocessing.Asa
mathematically-impairedexperimentalist,Iparticularlyappreciatethefactthatarmedwithamodest
backgroundinquantummechanics,itispossibletopickupatanypointinthebookandreadilygrasp
thebasicideasbeingdiscussed.Tome,itisstill“the”bookonthesubject.
DavidWineland,NationalInstituteofStandardsandTechnology,Boulder,Colorado
Endorsementsfortheoriginalpublication
ChuangandNielsenhaveproducedthefirstcomprehensivestudyofquantumcomputation.To
developarobustunderstandingofthissubjectonemustintegratemanyideaswhoseoriginsare
variouslywithinphysics,computerscience,ormathematics.Untilthistext,puttingtogetherthe
essentialmaterial,muchlessmasteringit,hasbeenachallenge.OurUniversehasintrinsiccapa-
bilitiesandlimitationsontheprocessingofinformation.Whatthesearewillultimatelydetermine
thecourseoftechnologyandshapeoureffortstofindafundamentalphysicaltheory.Thisbookis
anexcellentwayforanyscientistorgraduatestudent–inanyoftherelatedfields–toenterthe
discussion.
MichaelFreedman,FieldsMedalist,Microsoft
Nielsen and Chuang’s new text is remarkably thorough and up-to-date, covering many aspects
of this rapidly evolving field from a physics perspective, complementing the computer science
perspectiveofGruska’s1999text.Theauthorshavesucceededinproducingaself-containedbook
accessibletoanyonewithagoodundergraduategroundinginmath,computerscienceorphysical
sciences.Anindependentstudentcouldspendanenjoyableyearreadingthisbookandemergeready
totacklethecurrentliteratureanddoseriousresearch.Tostreamlinetheexposition,footnoteshave
beengatheredintoshortbutlivelyHistoryandFurtherReadingsectionsattheendofeachchapter.
CharlesHBennett,IBM
Thisisanexcellentbook.Thefieldisalreadytoobigtocovercompletelyinonebook,butNielsen
andChuanghavemadeagoodselectionoftopics,andexplainthetopicstheyhavechosenvery
well.
PeterShor,MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology

Quantum Computation and Quantum Information
10th Anniversary Edition
Michael A. Nielsen & Isaac L. Chuang
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Cambridge,NewYork,Melbourne,Madrid,CapeTown,Singapore,
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CambridgeUniversityPress
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PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyCambridgeUniversityPress,NewYork
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107002173
(cid:1)C M.NielsenandI.Chuang2010
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2000
Reprinted2002,2003,2004,2007,2009
10thAnniversaryeditionpublished2010
PrintedintheUnitedKingdomattheUniversityPress,Cambridge
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ISBN978-1-107-00217-3Hardback
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