Quantum computing

Quantum computing is a novel paradigm for computing. Quantum mechanical systems can exist as a superposition of states and this property can be used to design computing systems that can encode several possible solutions simultaneously. Certain problems that require an exponentially large time on an ordinary computer may be solved in linear time using Quantum computers. Basic unit of information storage in a quantum computer is called the qubit. Whereas a conventional computer stores bits (which can be either 1 or 0), a state (qubit) in a quantum computer can be simultaneously both 0 and 1 (this is called superposition of states).

To create a working Quantum computer, it is necessary to create:

• A coherent superposition of states,
• Manipulate the coherence in a manner specified by the algorithm of interest and
• Read out the result.

All of these operations can be implemented using a modern high resolution NMR spectrometer. Experiments demonstrating several quantum computing algorithms have been successfully implemented on NMR spectrometers. Other experimental methods have also been used to demonstrate the experimental feasibility of such a computer.