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Quantum computing is the study of a non-classical model of computation. Whereas traditional models of computing such as the Turing machine or Lambda calculus rely on "classical" representations of computational memory, a quantum computation could transform the memory into a quantum superposition of possible classical states. A quantum computer is a device that could perform such computation.
Quantum computing began in the early 1980s when physicist Paul Benioff proposed a quantum mechanical model of the Turing machine. Richard Feynman and Yuri Manin later suggested that a quantum computer could perform simulations that are out of reach for regular computers. In 1994, Peter Shor developed a polynomial-time quantum algorithm for factoring integers. This was a major breakthrough in the subject: an important method of asymmetric key exchange known as RSA is based on the belief that factoring integers is computationally difficult. The existence of a polynomial-time quantum algorithm proves that one of the most widely used cryptographic protocols is vulnerable to an adversary who possesses a quantum computer.
Experimental efforts towards building a quantum computer began after a slew of results known as fault-tolerance threshold theorems. These theorems proved that a quantum computation could be efficiently corrected against the effects of large classes of physically realistic noise models. One early result demonstrated parts of Shor's algorithm in a liquid-state nuclear magnetic resonance experiment. Other notable experiments have been performed in superconducting systems, ion-traps, and photonic systems.
Despite rapid and impressive experimental progress, most researchers believe that "fault-tolerant quantum computing [is] still a rather distant dream". On 23 October 2019, Google AI, in partnership with the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), officially claimed that its Sycamore quantum processor completed in 200 seconds a task the equivalent of which would take a state-of-the-art supercomputer approximately 10,000 years to complete. In response, one prominent researcher declared that a quantum computing revolution equivalent to the modern digital computer will require "immense engineering, and probably further insights as well." There is an increasing amount of investment in quantum computing by governments, established companies, and start-ups. Current research focuses on building and using near-term intermediate-scale devices and demonstrating quantum supremacy alongside the long-term goal of building and using a powerful and error-free quantum computer.
The field of quantum computing is closely related to quantum information science, which includes quantum cryptography and quantum communication.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_computing
Influential People in the Quantum Computing Field
- Richard Feynman - Introduced the idea of quantum computers in 1981 as a means to simulate quantum systems.
- David Deutsch - Developed the concept of a universal quantum computer and the Deutsch algorithm.
- Peter Shor - Created Shor's algorithm for efficient factorization, pivotal for cryptography.
- Lov Grover - Invented Grover's algorithm for quantum search, improving database search efficiency.
- Paul Benioff - One of the first to propose a quantum mechanical model of a Turing machine.
- Charles Bennett - A key figure in quantum cryptography and quantum teleportation.
- Artur Ekert - Pioneered quantum cryptography with the Ekert protocol (based on entanglement).
- Gilles Brassard - Co-developer of the BB84 quantum cryptography protocol.
- Claude Crépeau - A key contributor to quantum cryptographic protocols.
- Alain Aspect - Conducted experiments on Bell's inequalities, confirming the reality of quantum entanglement.
- Anton Zeilinger - Advanced quantum entanglement and teleportation experiments, earning a Nobel Prize in 2022.
- John Preskill - Coined the term "quantum supremacy" and has contributed significantly to quantum error correction.
- Seth Lloyd - Proposed the first feasible model for a quantum computer and quantum machine learning.
- Michael Nielsen - Co-author of the standard textbook Quantum Computation and Quantum Information.
- Alexei Kitaev - Developed the Kitaev quantum phase estimation algorithm and topological quantum computing concepts.
- Umesh Vazirani - Contributed to foundational quantum algorithms and quantum complexity theory.
- Daniel Gottesman - Known for the Gottesman-Knill theorem and quantum error correction codes.
- Scott Aaronson - A leading theorist in quantum computational complexity and quantum supremacy debates.
- Chris Monroe - A pioneer in ion-trap quantum computing systems.
- Deborah Jin - Advanced ultracold atomic systems, influencing quantum simulation technologies.
- Wojciech Zurek - Key figure in decoherence and the quantum-to-classical transition.
- Rolf Landauer - Explored the thermodynamics of information processing.
- Emanuel Knill - Expert in quantum error correction and fault-tolerance.
- Andrew Childs - Co-developed quantum walk algorithms.
- David Wineland - Nobel Prize-winning work on ion trapping.
- John Martinis - Built early superconducting quantum computers.
- Raymond Laflamme - Quantum error correction and decoherence research.
- Rainer Blatt - Pioneered trapped-ion quantum computing.
- Markus Greiner - Developed optical lattice technologies for quantum simulations.
- Andrew Cleland - Experimental superconducting qubits and hybrid quantum systems.
- Nicolas Gisin - Advanced quantum key distribution (QKD) systems.
- Vadim Makarov - Researcher in quantum hacking and QKD security.
- Renato Renner - Explored the foundations of quantum cryptography.
- Stephanie Wehner - Leading work in quantum networks and security.
- Mikhail Lukin - Developed neutral atom quantum systems.
- Michelle Simmons - Work on silicon-based quantum computing.
- Leo Kouwenhoven - Studied Majorana fermions for quantum computing.
- Charles Marcus - Semiconductor-based quantum devices.
- Jörg Schmiedmayer - Developed quantum simulators with cold atoms.
- Dario Gil - Head of IBM’s quantum computing efforts.
- Hartmut Neven - Leading Google’s quantum computing group.
- Alan Baratz - CEO of D-Wave Systems, a pioneer in quantum annealing.
- Ilana Wisby - CEO of Oxford Quantum Circuits.
- Chad Rigetti - Founder of Rigetti Computing.
- Jonathan Home - Quantum control in ion-trap systems.
- Yasunobu Nakamura - Pioneered superconducting qubits in Japan.
- Barbara Terhal - Focus on fault-tolerant quantum computing.
- Jun Ye - Researcher in quantum metrology and ultracold matter.