Quantum-Classical Tradeoffs for Information-Processing Tasks

University Of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM

Investigators

Abstract

Quantum information science investigates the use of quantum mechanics to perform information-processing tasks more efficiently than could be done using only classical resources. To assess the efficacy of quantum information, it is crucial to compare the quantum and classical resources required for particular tasks. The funding climate in the United States, dominated by security and defense agencies, has favored investigations of two particular tasks, quantum computation and quantum key distribution. Though these are important applications of quantum information, focusing on them is perhaps not the best strategy for assessing quantum-classical tradeoffs or discovering new applications. This proposal addresses this question by suggesting research on two topics where quantum-classical tradeoffs can be investigated rigorously: Clifford and post-Clifford circuits and classical restricted-coordinate problems.