Product Description

This text is the first comprehensive introduction to the main ideas and techniques of the field of quantum computation and quantum information. Michael Nielsen and Isaac Chuang ask the question: what are the ultimate physical limits to computation and communication? They describe in detail such remarkable effects as fast quantum algorithms, quantum teleportation, quantum cryptography and quantum error-correction. A wealth of accompanying figures and exercises illustrate and develop the material in more depth. The authors describe what a quantum computer is, how it can be used to solve problems faster than familiar ‘classical’ computers, and the real-world implementation of quantum computers. The book concludes with an in-depth treatment of quantum information, explaining how quantum states can be used to perform remarkable feats of communication, together with a discussion of how it is possible to protect quantum states against the effects of noise.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #331016 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 675 pages

Review
‘… Although the field of quantum information and computation is evolving rapidly, this book was written just after the basic algorithmic and physical tools of the field had reached a standard form. and so the text contains essentially all of the material that might be covered in a course on quantum information. I used it as a textbook for an introductory course in quantum computation at my institute. At the end of the term, the class was polled on various aspects of the book. The response was uniformly positive … a must-read for the generation of budding quantum-mechanical engineers who will build the technologies of the future.’ Seth Lloyd, Nature

‘Nielsen and Chuang have set a high standard.’ Science

‘… almost colloquial … the simple writing style is complemented by an enormous volume of information, both in the wide ranging nature of the subject matter and in the level of technical detail used to describe it.’ Dave Donaghy, The Computer Bulletin

‘… a highly readable, thorough, and timely survey of the field of theoretical quantum information science … probably destined to become a standard text for researchers in this still emerging, rapidly developing field … there are quite a few books published on quantum information science, none with either the scope or depth of the Nielson-Chuang work … The book is very well written and a pleasure to read.’ Daniel V. James, Physics Today

About the Author
Dr. Michael Nielsen was born in Brisbane, Australia in 1974, and was educated at the University of Queensland, obtaining postgraduate degrees in mathematics and physics, before being awarded his PhD in physics at the University of New Mexico in 1998. He is currently the Tolman Postdoctoral Fellow and a Fulbright Scholar at the California Institute of Technology

Dr. Isaac Chuang is a native of Louisville, KY. He received his doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1997, where he was a Hertz Foundation Fellow, and holds two bachelors degrees and one masters degree in physics and electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He serves as a consulting professor at Stanford University. He joined IBM Research in 1998. In November 1999 he was named one of the top 100 young innovators of 1999.

Customer Reviews

Essential reading but confusing in places
First of all, this book is probably an essential requirement for a course on quantum computing. It is very comprehensive. However there are times when the authors write in a very confusing way. One of the weakest areas of the book concerns measurement. There is no discussion of the topic of how one can measure a single qubit in a multi-qubit state. In a classical system one can just measure the voltage on a single wire. In a quantum system it is more complex. This is FUNDAMENTAL but the authors do not explain this properly.

As I read the book I was always asking questions that I found that the book didn't consider.

The book has plenty of exercises however none have answers and there are very few really telling examples. This makes the students' life very difficult.

My advice if you buy this book is be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time to it and also be prepared to read many research papers to try to clarify the many ill defined statements in the book. Using the book as a complement to a taught course is the wisest thing to do. I do not recommend it as a self study text.

Don't believe the endorsements on the back cover. They are all written by people who already understand the subject matter so they cannot see what a newcomer might have problems with.

Classic text on quantum information, one must read !
The book of M. Nielsen and I. Chuang is outcome of great work that have been done extensively in the last couple of decades by quantum physicists, computer scientist and information theorist. It is a right effort in right direction, so it is highly appreciable. Starting from rules of quantum theory these authors explain how can one apply these concepts in designing logic gates, elementary quantum computer circuits, Deustch-Josza algorithm Shor's algorithm, Grover's algorithm and many more. Also this text book explains in detail the important ideas of quantum information theory, such as no-cloning theorem, coding theorem, quantum teleportation, dense coding, and so on. There is also balance between technical aspects of the theory and historical aspects of the subjects. This book contains extensive number of references for further study. I am sure this book will be extremely useful for students as well as researchers in the field. I recomend that every one who is interested to know the wonder rules of quantum computation and information should read this book seriously.

One of the best!
It is not easy for authors to make everyone happy;-- this is especially so in a new field,--one which has grabbed headlines, and one which is at the same time interdisiplinary. In this case, the authors succeed as well as anyone, I believe.-- This lovely book covers several of the appropriate areas of physics (quantum theory, (some) experiment...), of computer science (the mathematical side of the subject), and of math (operators in Hilbert space, and the theory of algorithms);-- each member of the particular scientific specialty has very definite ideas of his/her own subject,-- and that of the others. Nonetheless, in this readers opinion, the two authors did a great job;-- they explain math to the physics community,-- and they sucessfully teach quantum theory and theoretical CS to mathematicians. The book is suitable for grad students: has lots of great exercises, but it could perhaps have used some more worked examples. (Fortunately they can be found in other books on quantum computation.) The Nielsen-Chuang book is most certainly a great entry for students into this exciting new subject. There are other books,-- but they, for the most part, take a more narrow view. The material in Nielsen-Chuang is timeless,-- and I expect the book will also be popular ten years from now.