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Explorations in quantum computing
Williams C. (ed), Clearwater S. (ed), TELOS, Santa Clara, CA, 1998. Type: Book (9780387947686)
Date Reviewed: Jun 1 1998

Quantum computing is distinguished from classical computing in the same way that quantum mechanics is different from classical mechanics. The fundamental assumption in classical mechanics is that the properties of a dynamical system are, in principle, entirely deterministic and predictable, with properties independent of the observer. In a quantum mechanical system, the determinism is lost. The properties of the system are described by probability density functions that evolve with time. Furthermore, the act of measuring the state of the system at any time perturbs it. The properties of quantum systems would, at first sight, appear to doom all efforts to apply quantum laws in a computational environment. Computing, as we practice it, depends on the predictability of a system, on being able to follow the course of a calculation accurately, and on the ability of any processing element to hold stable data. Quantum computing would be a major paradigm shift in computational science. Parallelism would be inherent in the values of a single register, because of the superposition of quantized states. The act of observation would select a solution from the mixed state.

Williams and Clearwater have produced a comprehensive introduction to the possibility of quantum computing. This book is unique. The first three chapters review the evolution of computing starting with the societal trends underlying the interest in quantum computing, the evolution of computing starting with the Turing machine, and an introduction to quantum mechanics using the Dirac formalism. Chapter 4 presents a simulation of a quantum computer, based on a idea of the late Richard Feynman.

The remaining seven chapters focus on specific applications of quantum computing. Among the most important is cryptography. Quantum computing would, in principle, allow easier decryption of coded messages as well as generating more robust encryption methods. Two chapters treat codes and encryption. The issue of encryption is closely related to maintaining the integrity of data. Quantum systems are very sensitive to environmental perturbations, and error correction methods need to be developed that can preserve the integrity of a probabilistic solution that exists as a wave function. Two chapters are devoted to this issue.

The communication of data between quantum devices or with the outside world is discussed in a chapter called “Quantum Teleportation.” The last chapter is on possible technologies that could be used to construct a quantum computer. The authors examine the possibilities of heteropolymers, ion-traps, cavity quantum electrodynamics, and nuclear spin systems.

The regular chapters are followed by an appendix that describes how to use the CD-ROM bundled with the text. The CD-ROM has notebooks for Mathematica 2.2 and 3.0 that can run on Windows, Mac, and Unix systems. The notebooks implement simulations for the various topics presented in the chapters, and a printed copy of the Feynman simulator is presented in the appendix. Unfortunately, since the book was printed in the United States, source code for the chapters on cryptography has been omitted from the CD-ROM. The rest of the notebooks are superb. They present an impressive amount of work. A lengthy bibliography follows the appendix. The index is short, but useful.

Readers of this book will need to have taken a course or two in quantum mechanics. While the discussion of quantum mechanics is excellent, it presumes previous knowledge, and the study of quantum mechanics is not normally part of the education of a computer scientist or engineer.

Although it will probably be many years before quantum computing becomes practical, this book makes an important contribution by summarizing and collecting the recent literature and providing lucid discussions and comprehensive computer simulations.

Reviewer:  Anthony J. Duben Review #: CR121542 (9806-0380)
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