Dancing with Qubits

Dancing with Qubits

by Robert S. Sutor
Released November 2019
Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
ISBN: 9781838827366

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Book description

Explore the principles and practicalities of quantum computing

Key Features

  • Discover how quantum computing works and delve into the math behind it with this quantum computing textbook
  • Learn how it may become the most important new computer technology of the century
  • Explore the inner workings of quantum computing technology to quickly process complex cloud data and solve problems

Book Description

Quantum computing is making us change the way we think about computers. Quantum bits, a.k.a. qubits, can make it possible to solve problems that would otherwise be intractable with current computing technology.

Dancing with Qubits is a quantum computing textbook that starts with an overview of why quantum computing is so different from classical computing and describes several industry use cases where it can have a major impact. From there it moves on to a fuller description of classical computing and the mathematical underpinnings necessary to understand such concepts as superposition, entanglement, and interference. Next up is circuits and algorithms, both basic and more sophisticated. It then nicely moves on to provide a survey of the physics and engineering ideas behind how quantum computing hardware is built. Finally, the book looks to the future and gives you guidance on understanding how further developments will affect you.

Really understanding quantum computing requires a lot of math, and this book doesn't shy away from the necessary math concepts you'll need. Each topic is introduced and explained thoroughly, in clear English with helpful examples.

What you will learn

  • See how quantum computing works, delve into the math behind it, what makes it different, and why it is so powerful with this quantum computing textbook
  • Discover the complex, mind-bending mechanics that underpin quantum systems
  • Understand the necessary concepts behind classical and quantum computing
  • Refresh and extend your grasp of essential mathematics, computing, and quantum theory
  • Explore the main applications of quantum computing to the fields of scientific computing, AI, and elsewhere
  • Examine a detailed overview of qubits, quantum circuits, and quantum algorithm

Who this book is for

Dancing with Qubits is a quantum computing textbook for those who want to deeply explore the inner workings of quantum computing. This entails some sophisticated mathematical exposition and is therefore best suited for those with a healthy interest in mathematics, physics, engineering, and computer science.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contributors
  6. Contents
  7. Preface
  8. 1 Why Quantum Computing?
    1. 1.1 The mysterious quantum bit
    2. 1.2 I’m awake!
    3. 1.3 Why quantum computing is different
    4. 1.4 Applications to artificial intelligence
    5. 1.5 Applications to financial services
    6. 1.6 What about cryptography?
    7. 1.7 Summary
  9. 2 They’re Not Old, They’re Classics
    1. 2.1 What’s inside a computer?
    2. 2.2 The power of two
    3. 2.3 True or false?
    4. 2.4 Logic circuits
    5. 2.5 Addition, logically
    6. 2.6 Algorithmically speaking
    7. 2.7 Growth, exponential and otherwise
    8. 2.8 How hard can that be?
    9. 2.9 Summary
  10. 3 More Numbers than You Can Imagine
    1. 3.1 Natural numbers
    2. 3.2 Whole numbers
    3. 3.3 Integers
    4. 3.4 Rational numbers
    5. 3.5 Real numbers
    6. 3.6 Structure
    7. 3.7 Modular arithmetic
    8. 3.8 Doubling down
    9. 3.9 Complex numbers, algebraically
    10. 3.10 Summary
  11. 4 Planes and Circles and Spheres, Oh My
    1. 4.1 Functions
    2. 4.2 The real plane
    3. 4.3 Trigonometry
    4. 4.4 From Cartesian to polar coordinates
    5. 4.5 The complex ‘‘plane’’
    6. 4.6 Real three dimensions
    7. 4.7 Summary
  12. 5 Dimensions
    1. 5.1 R2 and C1
    2. 5.2 Vector spaces
    3. 5.3 Linear maps
    4. 5.4 Matrices
    5. 5.5 Matrix algebra
    6. 5.6 Cartesian products
    7. 5.7 Length and preserving it
    8. 5.8 Change of basis
    9. 5.9 Eigenvectors and eigenvalues
    10. 5.10 Direct sums
    11. 5.11 Homomorphisms
    12. 5.12 Summary
  13. 6 What Do You Mean ‘‘Probably’’?
    1. 6.1 Being discrete
    2. 6.2 More formally
    3. 6.3 Wrong again?
    4. 6.4 Probability and error detection
    5. 6.5 Randomness
    6. 6.6 Expectation
    7. 6.7 Markov and Chebyshev go to the casino
    8. 6.8 Summary
  14. 7 One Qubit
    1. 7.1 Introducing quantum bits
    2. 7.2 Bras and kets
    3. 7.3 The complex math and physics of a single qubit
    4. 7.4 A non-linear projection
    5. 7.5 The Bloch sphere
    6. 7.6 Professor Hadamard, meet Professor Pauli
    7. 7.7 Gates and unitary matrices
    8. 7.8 Summary
  15. 8 Two Qubits, Three
    1. 8.1 Tensor products
    2. 8.2 Entanglement
    3. 8.3 Multi-qubit gates
    4. 8.4 Summary
  16. 9 Wiring Up the Circuits
    1. 9.1 So many gates …
    2. 9.2 From gates to circuits
    3. 9.3 Building blocks and universality
    4. 9.4 Arithmetic
    5. 9.5 Welcome to Delphi
    6. 9.6 Amplitude amplification
    7. 9.7 Searching
    8. 9.8 The Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm
    9. 9.9 Simon’s algorithm
    10. 9.10 Summary
  17. 10 From Circuits to Algorithms
    1. 10.1 Quantum Fourier Transform
    2. 10.2 Factoring
    3. 10.3 How hard can that be, again
    4. 10.4 Phase estimation
    5. 10.5 Order and period finding
    6. 10.6 Shor’s algorithm
    7. 10.7 Summary
  18. 11 Getting Physical
    1. 11.1 That’s not logical
    2. 11.2 What does it take to be a qubit?
    3. 11.3 Light and photons
    4. 11.4 Decoherence
    5. 11.5 Error correction
    6. 11.6 Quantum Volume
    7. 11.7 The software stack and access
    8. 11.8 Simulation
    9. 11.9 The cat
    10. 11.10 Summary
  19. 12 Questions about the Future
    1. 12.1 Ecosystem and community
    2. 12.2 Applications and strategy
    3. 12.3 Access
    4. 12.4 Software
    5. 12.5 Hardware
    6. 12.6 Education
    7. 12.7 Resources
    8. 12.8 Summary
  20. Afterword
  21. Appendices
    1. Appendix A Quick Reference
      1. A.1 Common kets
        1. One qubit
          1. Computational basis (Z)
          2. Hadamard basis (X)
          3. Circular basis (Y)
        2. Two qubits
          1. Computational basis
          2. Bell state basis
      2. A.2 Quantum gates and operations
    2. Appendix B Symbols
      1. B.1 Greek letters
      2. B.2 Mathematical notation and operations
    3. Appendix C Notices
      1. C.1 Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)
      2. C.2 Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0)
      3. C.3 Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)
      4. C.4 Los Alamos National Laboratory
      5. C.5 Trademarks
    4. Appendix D Production Notes
  22. Other Books You May Enjoy
    1. Leave a review – let other readers know what you think

Product information

  • Title: Dancing with Qubits
  • Author(s): Robert S. Sutor
  • Release date: November 2019
  • Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781838827366