Run quantum calculations on IBM’s quantum computers through the cloud with the aid of a new guide. Quantum Computing for Beginners Dummies.

Although there are vanishingly few quantum programmers in comparison to the number of conventional programmers worldwide, quantum computers may one day quickly find answers to issues that no conventional computer could possibly hope to tackle. The execution of quantum algorithms via the cloud on IBM’s publicly accessible quantum computers is now the focus of a new beginner’s handbook for quantum programming.

Quantum computers use quantum bits, or “qubits,” which, due to the peculiar properties of quantum physics, can exist in a state called superposition where they are both 1 and 0 at the same time. This is in contrast to classical computers, which switch transistors either on or off to symbolize data as ones or zeroes. This effectively enables each qubit to execute two calculations simultaneously. In a quantum computer, the more qubits that are quantum-mechanically connected, or entangled (see our explainer), the more computing power may increase exponentially.

Quantum Computing for Beginners Dummies

At the moment, quantum computers are noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) platforms, which means that they only have a few hundred qubits at most and are also prone to errors. However, it is anticipated that the number and quality of qubits in quantum processors will increase in order to achieve a quantum advantage that will allow them to solve problems that classical computers will never be able to.

Although quantum programming was first studied in the 1990s, it has only attracted a small group to far. According to the guide’s senior author, Andrey Lokhov, a theoretical physicist at New Mexico’s Los Alamos National Laboratory, “programming quantum computers may appear like a big difficulty, requiring years of study in quantum physics and associated sciences.” In addition, the discipline is dominated by physics and algebraic notations, which can occasionally create additional obstacles for scientists with traditional computing and mathematics backgrounds.

With the aid of their new guide, Lokhov and his colleagues now intend to contribute to “the impending quantum-computing revolution.” Our manual, which introduces novice computer scientists, physicists, and engineers to quantum algorithms and their applications on actual quantum computers, “fills an empty void in the area of quantum computation,” according to the authors.

The new manual outlines the fundamentals of quantum programming and computing

A quantum algorithm describes a step-by-step process, with each step requiring the use of a quantum computer, similar to how classical algorithms explain a sequence of instructions that must be carried out on a classical computer, according to Lokhov. “However, the name ‘quantum algorithm’ is often reserved for algorithms that involve fundamentally quantum actions, such as quantum superposition or quantum entanglement, which turn out to be computationally powerful,” the authors write.

Quantum programs are depicted as circuits specifying a series of fundamental operations, known as gates, that are applied to a collection of qubits in order to perform these quantum operations on quantum computers. Quantum programming differs significantly from conventional programming in that it is intrinsically probabilistic, or prone to random variation, by virtue of a fundamental idea in quantum physics.

“Our guide aims to explain the basic principles of quantum programming, which are quite different from classical programming, with straightforward algebra that makes understanding the underlying fascinating quantum-mechanical principles optional,” Lokhov says. “We have received positive feedback from many scientists beginners in the field who were able to quickly familiarize themselves with the basics of quantum programming using our guide.”

The new manual offers the bare-bones information required to begin creating and using quantum algorithms right immediately. These 20 common quantum algorithms include Grover’s database search algorithm and Shor’s technique for integer factoring.

The most effective hybrid quantum-classical algorithms are also included in our review, including the quantum approximation optimization algorithm and classical tools like quantum tomography that are helpful for validating the effectiveness of quantum algorithms, according to Lokhov. As a result, the manual covers a variety of quantum, conventional, and hybrid algorithms that are fundamental to the discipline of quantum computing.

The manual then shows quantum programmers how to apply these algorithms to IBM’s open-source quantum computers, including the 5-qubit IBMQX4. The manual outlines the implementation’s outcomes and clarifies how the simulator and real hardware runs differ from one another.

Lokhov points out that at the moment, a mathematical proof is required to demonstrate the effectiveness of a novel quantum algorithm. Contrarily, many effective algorithms in classical computing were found heuristically—that is, by trial and error or by weakly specified rules—with theoretical guarantees emerging considerably later. With additional quantum programmers, it is hoped that new quantum algorithms will be found in a similar way.

“We believe that our guide could be useful for introducing more scientists to quantum computing and for inviting them to experiment with the forthcoming quantum computers with larger numbers of qubits,” Lokhov says.