Efficient quantum algorithm for solving structured problems via multi-step quantum computation

Abstract

In classical computation, a problem can be solved in multiple steps where calculated results of each step can be copied and used repeatedly. While in quantum computation, it is difficult to realize a similar multi-step computation process because the no-cloning theorem forbids making copies of an unknown quantum state perfectly. We find a method based on quantum resonant transition to protect and reuse an unknown quantum state that encodes calculated results of an intermediate step without making copies of the state, and present a quantum algorithm that solves a problem via a multi-step quantum computation process. This algorithm can achieve an exponential speedup over classical algorithms in solving a type of structured search problems.