Silicon Atomic Quantum Dots Enable Beyond-CMOS Electronics

We review our recent efforts in building atom-scale quantum-dot cellular automata circuits on a silicon surface. Our building block consists of silicon dangling bond on a H-Si(001) surface, which has been shown to act as a quantum dot. First the fabrication, experimental imaging, and charging character of the dangling bond are discussed. We then show how precise assemblies of such dots can be created to form artificial molecules. Such complex structures can be used as systems with custom optical properties, circuit elements for quantum-dot cellular automata, and quantum computing. Considerations on macro-to-atom connections are discussed.Comment: 28 pages, 19 figure

Two-tape finite automata with quantum and classical states

{\it Two-way finite automata with quantum and classical states} (2QCFA) were introduced by Ambainis and Watrous, and {\it two-way two-tape deterministic finite automata} (2TFA) were introduced by Rabin and Scott. In this paper we study 2TFA and propose a new computing model called {\it two-way two-tape finite automata with quantum and classical states} (2TQCFA). First, we give efficient 2TFA algorithms for recognizing languages which can be recognized by 2QCFA. Second, we give efficient 2TQCFA algorithms to recognize several languages whose status vis-a-vis 2QCFA have been posed as open questions, such as $L_{square}=\{a^{n}b^{n^{2}}\mid n\in \mathbf{N}\}$. Third, we show that $\{a^{n}b^{n^{k}}\mid n\in \mathbf{N}\}$ can be recognized by {\it $(k+1)$-tape deterministic finite automata} ($(k+1)$TFA). Finally, we introduce {\it $k$-tape automata with quantum and classical states} ($k$TQCFA) and prove that $\{a^{n}b^{n^{k}}\mid n\in \mathbf{N}\}$ can be recognized by $k$TQCFA.Comment: 25 page

Cellular Structures for Computation in the Quantum Regime

We present a new cellular data processing scheme, a hybrid of existing cellular automata (CA) and gate array architectures, which is optimized for realization at the quantum scale. For conventional computing, the CA-like external clocking avoids the time-scale problems associated with ground-state relaxation schemes. For quantum computing, the architecture constitutes a novel paradigm whereby the algorithm is embedded in spatial, as opposed to temporal, structure. The architecture can be exploited to produce highly efficient algorithms: for example, a list of length N can be searched in time of order cube root N.Comment: 11 pages (LaTeX), 3 figure

Charge-to-spin conversion of electron entanglement states and spin-interaction-free solid-state quantum computation

Without resorting to spin-spin coupling, we propose a scalable spin quantum computing scheme assisted with a semiconductor multiple-quantum-dot structure. The techniques of single electron transitions and the nanostructure of quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA) are used to generate charge entangled states of two electrons, which are then converted into spin entanglement states using single-spin rotations only. Deterministic two-qubit quantum gates are also manipulated using only single-spin rotations with the help of QCA. A single-shot readout of spin states can be carried out by coupling the multiple dot structure to a quantum point contact. As a result, deterministic spin-interaction-free quantum computing can be implemented in semiconductor nanostructure.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, the revised version of quant-ph/0502002 for publication in Phys. Rev. B (to be appear on the issue of Oct. 15, 2007

Quantum cellular automata quantum computing with endohedral fullerenes

We present a scheme to perform universal quantum computation using global addressing techniques as applied to a physical system of endohedrally doped fullerenes. The system consists of an ABAB linear array of Group V endohedrally doped fullerenes. Each molecule spin site consists of a nuclear spin coupled via a Hyperfine interaction to an electron spin. The electron spin of each molecule is in a quartet ground state $S=3/2$. Neighboring molecular electron spins are coupled via a magnetic dipole interaction. We find that an all-electron construction of a quantum cellular automata is frustrated due to the degeneracy of the electronic transitions. However, we can construct a quantum celluar automata quantum computing architecture using these molecules by encoding the quantum information on the nuclear spins while using the electron spins as a local bus. We deduce the NMR and ESR pulses required to execute the basic cellular automata operation and obtain a rough figure of merit for the the number of gate operations per decoherence time. We find that this figure of merit compares well with other physical quantum computer proposals. We argue that the proposed architecture meets well the first four DiVincenzo criteria and we outline various routes towards meeting the fifth criteria: qubit readout.Comment: 16 pages, Latex, 5 figures, See http://planck.thphys.may.ie/QIPDDF/ submitted to Phys. Rev.

Lifting query complexity to time-space complexity for two-way finite automata

Time-space tradeoff has been studied in a variety of models, such as Turing machines, branching programs, and finite automata, etc. While communication complexity as a technique has been applied to study finite automata, it seems it has not been used to study time-space tradeoffs of finite automata. We design a new technique showing that separations of query complexity can be lifted, via communication complexity, to separations of time-space complexity of two-way finite automata. As an application, one of our main results exhibits the first example of a language $L$ such that the time-space complexity of two-way probabilistic finite automata with a bounded error (2PFA) is $\widetilde{\Omega}(n^2)$, while of exact two-way quantum finite automata with classical states (2QCFA) is $\widetilde{O}(n^{5/3})$, that is, we demonstrate for the first time that exact quantum computing has an advantage in time-space complexity comparing to classical computing

Interference Automata

We propose a computing model, the Two-Way Optical Interference Automata (2OIA), that makes use of the phenomenon of optical interference. We introduce this model to investigate the increase in power, in terms of language recognition, of a classical Deterministic Finite Automaton (DFA) when endowed with the facility of optical interference. The question is in the spirit of Two-Way Finite Automata With Quantum and Classical States (2QCFA) [A. Ambainis and J. Watrous, Two-way Finite Automata With Quantum and Classical States, Theoretical Computer Science, 287 (1), 299-311, (2002)] wherein the classical DFA is augmented with a quantum component of constant size. We test the power of 2OIA against the languages mentioned in the above paper. We give efficient 2OIA algorithms to recognize languages for which 2QCFA machines have been shown to exist, as well as languages whose status vis-a-vis 2QCFA has been posed as open questions. Finally we show the existence of a language that cannot be recognized by a 2OIA but can be recognized by an $O(n^3)$ space Turing machine.Comment: 19 pages. A preliminary version appears under the title "On a Model of Computation based on Optical Interference" in Proc. of the 16-th Australasian Workshop on Combinatorial Algorithms (AWOCA'05), pp. 249-26