Quantum Computer Taxonomy
The process of creating a multi-dimensional taxonomy of the features
of a quantum computing technology that will include the
architecture of a quantum computer built using that technology
is ongoing. See the paper "Architectural Implications of Quantum
Computing Technologies," Rodney Van Meter and Mark Oskin, available
from the Aqua project publications
page.
Topology
The logical topology of the machine influences algorithm
efficiency. We have investigated three architectural classes. These
classes are abstract, but with features that illustrate algorithm
behavior. They are:
- AC, abstract concurrent. This corresponds to the
assumed machine when you see quantum circuits drawn in most papers.
It supports the Toffoli gate (control-control NOT) and allows qubits
anywhere in the system to interact without penalty. Arbitrary
concurrency is allowed, provided the algorithm supports it.
- TC, two-qubit concurrent. Similar to AC,
except that it supports only two-qubit gates, not the Toffoli gate. A
Toffoli gate is assumed to be constructed using the decomposition of
Barenco et. al.
- NTC, neighbor two-qubit concurrent. The set of
gates is the same as TC, but operands are restricted to nearest
neighbor only. The corresponds roughly to the LNN architecture
class of Fowler et. al.
There are many more possible physical topologies to consider; we hope
to examine a full 2-D mesh, a loose 2-D lattice (similar to that
described by Oskin et. al.), and the scalable ion trap.
rdv@sfc.keio.ac.jp
Copyright 2007 Rod Van Meter
Last modified: $Date: 2007/04/05 03:27:00 $
