Quantum protocols for few-qubit devices

Abstract

Quantum computers promise to dramatically speed up certain algorithms, but remain challenging to build in practice. This thesis focuses on near-term experiments, which feature a small number (say, 10-200) of qubits that lose the stored information after a short amount of time. We propose various theoretical protocols that can get the best out of such highly limited computers. For example, we construct logical operations, the building blocks of algorithms, by exploiting the native physical behavior of the machine. Moreover, we describe how quantum information can be sent between qubits that are only indirectly connected