
20 Introduction to Quantum Physics and Information Processing
Let’s denote the (unknown but pure) input state of the electrons in the
beam by |ii and the output state by |oi. The probability of obtaining this
particular output is given by
P(|ii → |oi) =
no. of electrons in state |oi
Total number of electrons in input beam
. (2.2)
We are going to use this information to build a mathematical picture of the
spin states of the electron. Let’s introduce a notation for this probability (in
anticipation of the next chapter). In quantum mechanics, a process such as
just described, is associated with a probability amplitude, which is in general
complex, denoted ...