The Physics of Quantum Information

Leading experts from "The Physics of Quantum Information" network, initiated by the European Commission, bring together the most recent results from this emerging area of quantum technology. Written in a consistent style as a research monograph, the book introduces quantum cryptography, quantum teleportation, and quantum computation, considering both theory and newest experiments. Both scientists working in the field and advanced students will find a rich source of information on this exciting new area.

Review :
From the reviews "Included among the more than 40 contributors are some of the subject s leading European practitioners Topics are well balanced between presentations of the theory (dazzling in its ingenuity) and crude attempts at implementation (tours de force in technol9gy, but still a long way from non-trivial computational application) The Physics of Quantum Information does convey a through and authoritative picture of the state of this fascinating futuristic art as we enter the 21st century." - American Scientist "This volume covers Quantum Cryptography Quantum Teleportation and Quantum Computation. The book presents clearly the fundamental concepts, amply illustrated with theoretical calculations and descriptions of experimental work. Consequently, this is a first-class primer, pitched at a level suitable for honours students or above.The first section, dealing with Quantum Cryptography, discusses the possibility of secure exchange of key material via entangled states in quantum channels. The presentation makes it clear that quantum key exchange, using quantum indeterminacy to test for an eavesdropper, offers genuine security. The discussion of experimental realisations suggests that this will be a practical technology in the not too distant future.The next chapter is on Quantum "teleportation," the transfer of a quantum state to an entangled system at another location. This chapter includes a discussion of a number of elegant experiments.Much of the book is devoted to Quantum Computing. An introduction introduces the qubit (quantum bit) and quantum logic gates, followed by a very clear exposition of quantum algorithms, and their speed advantages over classical algorithms. The presentation then moves to the practicalities of building a quantum computer. Decoherence, a formidable challenge, is covered at length. There is a tendency in some writings to understate the difficulties that decoherence might present, but here the discussion is