Can Quantum Computers Solve Linear Algebra Problems to Advance Engineering Applications?

Since its inception by Richard Feynman in 1982, quantum computing has provided an intriguing opportunity to advance computational capabilities over classical computing. Classical computers use bits to process information in terms of zeros and ones. Quantum computers use the complex world of quantum mechanics to carry out calculations using qubits (the quantum analog of a classical bit). The qubit can be in a superposition of the zero and one state simultaneously unlike a classical bit. The true power of quantum computing comes from the complexity of entanglement between many qubits. When entanglement is realized, quantum algorithms for problems such as factoring numbers and solving linear algebra problems show exponential speed-up relative to any known classical algorithm. Linear algebra problems are of particular interest in engineering application for solving problems that use finite element and finite difference methods. Here, we explore quantum linear algebra problems where we design and implement a quantum circuit that can be tested on IBM’s quantum computing hardware. A set of quantum gates are assimilated into a circuit and implemented on the IBM Q system to demonstrate its algorithm capabilities and its measurement methodology.