Quantum search protocol for an atomic array

Abstract

Quantum computers can, in principle, exceed the speed of ordinary computers by taking advantage of quantum coherence and entanglement. It is possible to find a "needle in a haystack" of N-1 straws in only rootN searches by utilizing coherent superposition states. In the present paper we show how modem quantum optics may provide a simple and practicable quantum search procedure, which may also yield insights into quantum search algorithms in general.