Temporally unstructured quantum computation

Abstract

We examine theoretic architectures and an abstract model for a restricted class of quantum computation, called here temporally unstructured ('instantaneous') quantum computation because it allows for essentially no temporal structure within the quantum dynamics. Using the theory of binary matroids, we argue that the paradigm is rich enough to enable sampling from probability distributions that cannot, classically, be sampled efficiently and accurately. This paradigm also admits simple interactive proof games that may convince a sceptic of the existence of truly quantum effects. Furthermore, these effects can be created using significantly fewer qubits than are required for running Shor's algorithm. This journal is © 2009 The Royal Society.