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.

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.