Cuffaro, Michael (2013) On the Necessity of Entanglement for the Explanation of Quantum Speedup. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Of the many and varied applications of quantum information theory, perhaps the most fascinating is the sub-field of quantum computation. In this sub-field, computational algorithms are designed which utilise the resources available in quantum systems in order to compute solutions to computational problems with, in some cases, exponentially fewer resources than any known classical algorithm. While the fact of quantum computational speedup is almost beyond doubt, the source of quantum speedup is still a matter of debate. In this paper I argue that entanglement is a necessary component for any explanation of quantum speedup and I address some purported counter-examples that some claim show that the contrary is true. In particular, I address Biham et al.'s mixed-state version of the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm, and Knill \& Laflamme's deterministic quantum computation with one qubit (DQC1) model of quantum computation. I argue that these examples do not demonstrate that entanglement is unnecessary for the explanation of quantum speedup, but that they rather illuminate and clarify the role that entanglement does play.

Available Versions of this Item

• Reflections on the Role of Entanglement in the Explanation of Quantum Computational Speedup. (deposited 07 Dec 2011 11:19)
  • Reflections on the Role of Entanglement in the Explanation of Quantum Computational Speedup. (deposited 04 Feb 2012 08:27)
    • Reflections on the Role of Entanglement in the Explanation of Quantum Computational Speedup. (deposited 07 Jun 2012 08:50)
      • Reflections on the Role of Entanglement in the Explanation of Quantum Computational Speedup. (deposited 30 Sep 2012 22:42)
        • On the Necessity of Entanglement for the Explanation of Quantum Speedup. (deposited 29 Mar 2013 09:44)[Currently Displayed]

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