Fields
Quantum Computing
Also Known As Quantum computation
Field of Study
Citation Formats
General Reference
APA Style
BibTeX
The field of computer science that represents and processes information using quantum-mechanical states, harnessing superposition and entanglement so that certain problems can, in principle, be solved exponentially faster than on a classical computer. The field traces its origins to proposals in the early 1980s, including Paul Benioff's quantum Turing machine and Richard Feynman's suggestion that a computer built from quantum-mechanical elements could efficiently simulate quantum systems; as of the mid-2020s working quantum computers remain small-scale and experimental rather than a replacement for classical computing.
Facts
Disputed
Origin YearPaul Benioff proposed a quantum-mechanical model of a Turing machine in 1980; Richard Feynman's widely-cited 1982 keynote on simulating physics with computers is also commonly credited as the field's founding provocation, so the field's origin is dated to the early 1980s rather than a single year. Core ConcernUsing qubits and quantum phenomena such as superposition, entanglement and interference to process information in ways that can outperform classical bits on specific, structured problems. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Quantum computing
Wikimedia FoundationLead sectionQuote, Lead section
A quantum computer is a computer that represents and processes information using quantum states.
1. Wikipedia: Quantum computing
Wikimedia FoundationHistory sectionQuote, History section
In 1980, Paul Benioff introduced the quantum Turing machine, which used quantum theory to describe a simplified computer.
1. Wikipedia: Quantum computing
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Theory of Computation, Algorithms sectionQuote, Associated With: Theory of Computation, Algorithms section
Quantum algorithms can be roughly categorized by the type of speedup achieved over corresponding classical algorithms.
Wikipedia: David Deutsch
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: David Deutsch, Career and research section (2008 Royal Society Fellow nomination)Quote, Includes: David Deutsch, Career and research section (2008 Royal Society Fellow nomination)
[having] laid the foundations of the quantum theory of computation, and has subsequently made or participated in many of the most important advances in the field, including the discovery of the first quantum algorithms, the theory of quantum logic gates and quantum computational networks, the first quantum error-correction scheme, and several fundamental quantum universality results.
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.