Experimental Implementations of Quantum Information Processing

Quantum information processing (QIP) is the study of information and information processing as governed by the laws of quantum mechanics. A theory of quantum information allows for the development of quantum computers, which could be used to greatly increase the speed of certain mathematical computations; to construct quantum simulators, capable of simulating other quantum systems; and to perform quantum cryptography, whose security is guaranteed by the laws of physics. The power offered by QIP stems from unique properties of quantum mechanics such as entanglement and interference. To understand the fundamentals of QIP we will take a short tour of several aspects of classical information processing highlighting where QIP differs. Then, nuclear magnetic resonance is introduced as an experimentally viable way of studying QIP. Finally, a number of experiments of quantum information processing will be thoroughly explored. Thesis Supervisor: Seth Lloyd Title: Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering