The Quantum Advantage

Abstract “The Quantum Advantage: Interferometric Computing” describes the development of quantum algorithms and quantum computing, beginning with the first quantum algorithm invented by David Deutsch as a side effect of his attempt to prove the many-worlds interpretation of quantum theory. Peter Shor found a quantum algorithm that could factor the product of primes, threatening all secure communications in the world. Once the usefulness of quantum algorithms was recognized, quantum computing hardware ideas developed rapidly into quantum circuits supported by quantum logic gates. The limitation of optical interactions, that hampered the development of controlled quantum gates, led to the proposal of linear optical quantum computing. Boson sampling, consisting of a complex cascade of single-photon interferometers, has been used to demonstrate quantum supremacy, also known as quantum computational advantage, using photonic integrated circuits.