Fault-ignorant quantum search

Abstract

We investigate the problem of quantum searching on a noisy quantum computer. Taking a fault-ignorant approach, we analyze quantum algorithms that solve the task for various different noise strengths, which are possibly unknown beforehand. We prove lower bounds on the runtime of such algorithms and thereby find that the quadratic speedup is necessarily lost (in our noise models). However, for low but constant noise levels the algorithms we provide (based on Groverʼs algorithm) still outperform the best noiseless classical search algorithm.

Keywords

• quantum search
• algorithms
• fault tolerance
• Grover search
• computational complexity
• error correction