Smalltalks "Understanding quantum advantage in continuous variable quantum computing"

Abstract

Quantum computers are expected to be able to solve certain problems exponentially faster than classical computers. This ability is called quantum advantage. Understanding the properties that lead to quantum advantage is key to the development of new practical quantum algorithms. Earlier research in this field has focused on understanding quantum advantage using qubit-based (a two-level system) quantum computers. However, for continuous-variable quantum computers much less is known. To investigate this, we first developed a method to simulate a restricted class of continuous-variable computations. This lets us understand when these types of quantum computers cannot outperform classical computers. Using this result, we provide a sufficient condition for achieving quantum advantage using continuous variable quantum computing.