Basic Concepts in Quantum Information

TL;DR

This paper introduces fundamental concepts of quantum information, highlighting recent advances in experimental systems like circuit QED that enable quantum computing and deepen our understanding of quantum mechanics.

Contribution

It provides an accessible overview of key theoretical ideas and introduces circuit QED as a platform for quantum information processing and testing quantum optics.

Findings

Development of long-lived quantum states in engineered systems

Circuit QED as a test bed for non-linear quantum optics

Potential of circuit QED for quantum information processing

Abstract

In the last 25 years a new understanding has evolved of the role of information in quantum mechanics. At the same time there has been tremendous progress in atomic/optical physics and condensed matter physics, and particularly at the interface between these two formerly distinct fields, in developing experimental systems whose quantum states are long-lived and which can be engineered to perform quantum information processing tasks. These lecture notes will present a brief introduction to the basic theoretical concepts behind this `second quantum revolution.' These notes will also provide an introduction to `circuit QED.' In addition to being a novel test bed for non-linear quantum optics of microwave electrical circuits which use superconducting qubits as artificial atoms, circuit QED offers an architecture for constructing quantum information processors.