Skip to main content

Currently Skimming:

Quantum Computing: What It Is, Why We Want It, and How We're Trying to Get It - Sara Gamble
Pages 5-8

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 5...
... In 1994, however, interest in quantum computing rose dramatically when mathematician Peter Shor developed a quantum algorithm, which could find the prime factors of large numbers efficiently. Here, "efficiently" means in a time of practical relevance, which is beyond the capability of state-of-the-art classical algorithms.
From page 6...
... In qubits such as electrons, 0 and 1 simply correspond to states like the lower and upper energy levels discussed above. Qubits are distinguished from classical bits, which must always be in the 0 or 1 state, by their ability to be in superpositions with varying probabilities that can be manipulated by quantum operations during computations.
From page 7...
... Many candidate qubit systems exist on the scale of single atoms, and the physicists, engineers, and materials scientists who are trying to execute quantum operations on these systems constantly deal with two competing requirements. First, qubits need to be protected from the environment because it can destroy the delicate quantum states needed for computation.
From page 8...
... With this ability they can target questions such as how high-temperature superconductors work, or how certain chemicals react, or how to design materials with certain properties. CONCLUSIONS AND OUTLOOK Quantum computers have the potential to revolutionize computation by making certain types of classically intractable problems solvable.


This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More information on Chapter Skim is available.