Introduction to Quantum Computing (The Materials Research Society Series) 1st ed. 2021 Edition

This book provides a self-contained undergraduate course on quantum computing based on classroom-tested lecture notes. It reviews the fundamentals of quantum mechanics from the double-slit experiment to entanglement, before progressing to the basics of qubits, quantum gates, quantum circuits, quantum key distribution, and some of the famous quantum algorithms. As well as covering quantum gates in depth, it also describes promising platforms for their physical implementation, along with error correction, and topological quantum computing. With quantum computing expanding rapidly in the private sector, understanding quantum computing has never been so important for graduates entering the workplace or PhD programs. Assuming minimal background knowledge, this book is highly accessible, with rigorous step-by-step explanations of the principles behind quantum computation, further reading, and end-of-chapter exercises, ensuring that undergraduate students in physics and engineering emerge well prepared for the future.

Ray LaPierre attended Dalhousie University, Canada, where he obtained a B.Sc. degree in Physics in 1992. He then completed his M.Eng. degree in 1994 and Ph.D. degree in 1997 in the Engineering Physics Department at McMaster University, Canada. His graduate work involved development of molecular beam epitaxy of compound semiconductor alloys for laser diodes in telecom applications. Upon completion of his graduate work in 1997, he joined JDS Uniphase, Canada, where he developed dielectric coatings for wavelength division multiplexing devices. In 2004, he rejoined McMaster University as an Assistant Professor in the Engineering Physics Department. He is currently Professor in the Engineering Physics Department at McMaster with interests in III-V nanowires, molecular beam epitaxy, and applications in photovoltaics, photodetectors and quantum information processing.