The Bombay Technologist

Quantum Computation - A Sign of Quantum Supremacy

Swareena Jain

Department of Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga, Mumbai 400019

Raman Sehgal

bNclear Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085

Radha V. Jayaram

Department of Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga, Mumbai 400019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36664/bt/2021/v68i1/160704

Keywords: Qubits, Electronic Structure, Quantum Gates, Algorithms, Open Fermion.

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Abstract

Quantum computation as the name suggests is the use of quantum phenomena to perform computational tasks. As predicted by Richard Feynman, an extraordinarily brilliant physicist of the 20th century, quantum computers can do many tasks that an ordinary computer cannot. In this paper, an attempt is made to obtain the electronic energy levels of hydrogen molecule and lithium hydride by employing quantum algorithm based on variational principle. An introduction to basic ideas of quantum computation and qubit Hamiltonian for these molecules are summarized. It is a common misconception that the term ‘quantum’ is associated with ‘complicated’, and complex mathematical equations and hence cannot be learnt easily. The objective of this paper is to eliminate this misconception and that any quantum phenomenon can be understood with very little mathematics and very few equations.