English

Experimental realisation of Shor's quantum factoring algorithm using qubit recycling

Quantum Physics 2012-11-19 v2

Abstract

Quantum computational algorithms exploit quantum mechanics to solve problems exponentially faster than the best classical algorithms. Shor's quantum algorithm for fast number factoring is a key example and the prime motivator in the international effort to realise a quantum computer. However, due to the substantial resource requirement, to date, there have been only four small-scale demonstrations. Here we address this resource demand and demonstrate a scalable version of Shor's algorithm in which the n qubit control register is replaced by a single qubit that is recycled n times: the total number of qubits is one third of that required in the standard protocol. Encoding the work register in higher-dimensional states, we implement a two-photon compiled algorithm to factor N=21. The algorithmic output is distinguishable from noise, in contrast to previous demonstrations. These results point to larger-scale implementations of Shor's algorithm by harnessing scalable resource reductions applicable to all physical architectures.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1111.4147,
  title  = {Experimental realisation of Shor's quantum factoring algorithm using qubit recycling},
  author = {Enrique Martin-Lopez and Anthony Laing and Thomas Lawson and Roberto Alvarez and Xiao-Qi Zhou and Jeremy L. O'Brien},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1111.4147},
  year   = {2012}
}

Comments

7 pages, 3 figures

R2 v1 2026-06-21T19:37:39.484Z