Area Exam Paper

Quantum Computation Primitives

Michael P. Frank
MIT AI Lab
545 Technology Sq.
Cambridge, MA 02139

February 2, 1996

Abstract:

This paper surveys the state of the field of quantum computation, with an emphasis on the recent effort to devise simple quantum computational primitives upon which more complex quantum calculations can be built. This effort is exemplified by the recent papers [Barenco et al. 1995, Vedral et al. 1995], which we review. We also discuss Shor's [1995] paper, which describes the quantum-polynomial-time factoring algorithm that has provided a major motivation for much of the recent activity.

Mike Frank, 2/4/96