David K Ferry 2009 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 21 474201 doi:10.1088/0953-8984/21/47/474201
David K Ferry
Show affiliationsOver the past two decades, quantum computing has become a popular and promising approach to trying to solve computationally difficult problems. Missing in many descriptions of quantum computing is just how probability enters into the process. Here, we discuss some simple examples of how uncertainty and probability enter, and how this and the ideas of quantum computing challenge our interpretations of quantum mechanics. It is found that this uncertainty can lead to intrinsic decoherence, and this raises challenges for error correction.
03.67.Lx Quantum computation architectures and implementations
03.65.Yz Decoherence; open systems; quantum statistical methods
03.67.Pp Quantum error correction and other methods for protection against decoherence
Issue 47 (25 November 2009)
Received 9 March 2009, in final form 27 April 2009
Published 5 November 2009
David K Ferry 2009 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 21 474201
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