Building Quantum Computers: A Practical Introduction

The global race to build the world's first quantum computer has attracted enormous investment from government and industry, and it attracts a growing pool of talent. As with many cutting-edge technologies, the optimal implementation is not yet settled. This important textbook describes four of the most advanced platforms for quantum computing: nuclear magnetic resonance, quantum optics, trapped ions, and superconducting systems. The fundamental physical concepts underpinning the practical implementation of quantum computing are reviewed, followed by a balanced analysis of the strengths and weaknesses inherent to each type of hardware. The text includes more than 80 carefully designed exercises with worked solutions available to instructors, applied problems from key scenarios, and suggestions for further reading, facilitating a practical and expansive learning experience. Suitable for senior undergraduate and graduate students in physics, engineering, and computer science, Building Quantum Computers is an invaluable resource for this emerging field.

Table of Contents:
List of symbols; Foreword; Preface; 1. Introduction to quantum computing; 2. Review of quantum mechanics for quantum computing; 3. Nuclear magnetic resonance; 4. Optics; 5. Trapped ions; 6. Superconducting circuits; 7. Benchmarking; References; Index.

About the Author :
Shayan Majidy is a Banting Fellow at Harvard, USA. He completed his PhD at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) at the University of Waterloo, Canada, where he earned prestigious awards including the Vanier Scholarship and IQC Achievement Award. He is recognized for his contributions in science education and outreach, founding a not-for-profit company to bring advanced science research to a wider audience. He has also taught quantum computing in various capacities, including as a sessional instructor, guest lecturer, and teaching assistant, and at multiple summer schools. Christopher Wilson has been a Professor at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) since 2012 and holds a joint appointment in the Electrical and Computing Department at the University of Waterloo, Canada. He is a world expert on superconducting quantum circuits and has been the recipient of numerous awards including the 2012 Wallmark Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy and the 2011 Readers' Choice award from Nature news. His important work in the field was named one of Physics World's top 5 breakthroughs of 2011. Raymond Laflamme is a Professor of Physics at the University of Waterloo, Canada, and a pioneer in quantum computing. He was the Founding Director of the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC), leading it from 2001 to 2017. Laflamme is renowned for his work on quantum error correction, the accuracy threshold theorem, the KLM model for photonic quantum computing, and experimental quantum information studies using nuclear magnetic resonance. He previously held the Canada Research Chair in Quantum Information and currently holds the Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis “John von Neumann” Chair in Quantum Information.

Review :
'Building Quantum Computers offers a concise yet comprehensive overview of quantum information processing and various cutting-edge technologies geared toward the development of quantum computers. I find this book particularly valuable due to its compendium-style presentation, making it an ideal resource for graduate students and for professionals actively involved in quantum computing research.' Rainer Blatt, Austrian Academy of Sciences 'Building Quantum Computers presents a pedagogical account of the basic quantum computing concepts and, perhaps for the first time, uniformly and comprehensively discusses the main hardware platforms that are used in building quantum computers. With carefully chosen end-of-chapter exercises, the authors provide an excellent textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in physics and engineering who want to join the thriving quantum computation and simulation communities.' Pedram Roushan, Google 'In an age where it can be difficult to know who and what to trust, I am pleased to say you can 100% rely on these authors. Not only are they renowned experts in their field, but they clearly worked very hard to make the difficult topics in this book not-so-difficult. It offers something that no other textbook does.' Olivia Lanes, IBM Quantum 'With its consistent notation, rigorous attention to detail, and a wealth of exercises, this textbook is an indispensable resource for students and researchers alike. Finally, the quantum information community has its pedagogical guide to modern quantum computing architectures.' Alexandre Blais, Université de Sherbrooke 'Quantum technology, at the intersection of physics, computer science, engineering, and mathematics, could very well be considered a discipline in its own right, and yet undergraduates rarely arrive at graduate-level quantum technology courses with enough background in each foundational discipline to be successful. A carefully crafted introduction to the topic of quantum technologies can make all the difference to one's success in this exciting and rapidly developing space, and this textbook delivers on this challenge. It serves as a lucid, accessible, and foundational introduction to the field of quantum technology, building upon tried-tested-and-true methods established over years at one of the world's most experienced quantum technology academic institutes.' Stephanie Simmons, Simon Fraser University 'Building Quantum Computers provides a very accessible treatment of the concepts underlying proposed implementations of quantum computers. It is a great resource to learn about the strengths, limitations, physical principles, and mathematical underpinnings of a variety of approaches to building and operating qubits.' Andrew Childs, University of Maryland