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Universal quantum computing : supervening decoherence -- surmounting uncertainty
Amoroso R., World Scientific Publishing Co, Inc., Hackensack, NJ, 2017. 632 pp. Type: Book
Date Reviewed: May 22 2019

Quantum computing is one of the hottest research fields right now, although the theory behind it had its start in the early 1980s, when Richard Feynman asked in a lecture why simulating quantum effects with classical (non-quantum) computers is so tricky [1]. He assumed that this might mean that computers operating with such effects are more powerful. This question kicked off the whole field, and tremendous progress has been made since then.

Quantum computers are fundamentally different from classical computers in that they use quantum effects for computation, for example, superposition, entanglement, and tunneling. Simply put, according to the principle of superposition, until we measure the state of a quantum physical object, that is, by looking at it, it assumes all possible configurations that it can take at once. One way to imagine this is by looking at a flipping coin: it may end up in two definite states, heads or tail, but while it’s flipped it is in a superposition state of both. “Looking at it” gives us the definite state, and in terms of a quantum computer this depends on the implementation of the quantum bits (qubits) and can be implemented by firing polarized laser light at qubits or by interacting with magnetic fields. If some or all of the individual components (qubits when it comes to quantum computers) of a superposition state are entangled, or correlated as we would say in the classical world, they cannot be described individually, only as a composite system. If something happens to one particle in an entangled two-particle system, this influences the state of the other, regardless of how far apart they are from each other. Thus, by carefully operating on such an entangled superposition state, evaluations of every configuration the system can take may be performed simultaneously. Only very special hardware, such as magnetic fields generated by superconductors or electrons in the atomic shell, can be used as quantum computers.

The book provides a concise introduction to models of quantum computers and how these operate. Furthermore, an overview of the most common ways to implement qubits is given. We usually only hear about superconducting quantum interference devices, ion traps, or photonic qubits, but it is far from certain that one of these architectures will prevail, so it makes sense to learn about less popular designs such as fullerene-based electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy and molecular magnet quantum computers.

The most common machines using quantum effects for computation are gate model computers and quantum annealing systems. While the author explains the differences between these models, the focus in the early chapters is clearly on gate model quantum computing. The focus of the book is to introduce a new model of quantum computing, so while it comes with explanations of the most common operations that can be executed on a gate model quantum computer, no introduction to today’s known algorithms is provided. However, new classes of algorithms are introduced in the context of a newly proposed model of quantum computing, which comes with the impressive name “unified field mechanical ontological-phase topological field theoretic quantum computing” (UFM-QC).

Regarding today’s quantum computing, readers are briefly introduced to complex spaces and linear algebra, the latter being today’s language of quantum computing, and to the most commonly used gates in a gate model algorithm. The later chapters focus on explaining UFM-QC. These chapters are a little more challenging to digest, especially as the author touches upon everything from string theory to multiverse cosmology. The reader gets the feeling that while the chapters are interesting, most of them are not directly related to quantum computing. One may end up a little puzzled about how to relate all the presented information to the book title. UFM-QC is a mentally challenging model, and it is by far not complete, but it opens the door to a new avenue.

The book is for readers with a strong background in mathematics and various areas of physics, such as the most fundamental aspects of quantum information, cosmology, and string theory. The author challenges the reader by stating that the current model of quantum computing is incomplete and can never be used to obtain quantum supremacy, which is the one experiment supposed to show that a quantum computer can do a calculation that a classical computer cannot complete in finite time. While he loosely connects various fields of physics with quantum computing, readers must have solid background knowledge--especially in the later chapters where a fair amount of physics education is needed to understand the content.

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Reviewer:  Florian Neukart Review #: CR146576 (1908-0299)
1) Feynman, R. P. Simulating physics with computers . International Journal of Theoretical Physics 21, (1982), 467–488.
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