Quantum Software Engineering?

Speaker: Jeff W Sanders

4th November 2003 , 14:30 , Room 519 Claremont Tower

Abstract

Is there a discipline of quantum software engineering?

Quantum algorithms provide a test for software engineers: can they be specified and reasoned about as successfully as can standard software? This seminar will investigate the specification and derivation of a distributed quantum algorithm - Brassard and Bennett's quantum protocol for secure key distribution. The case study is of some interest because a quantum algorithm is a probabilistic algorithm, and for probabilistic algorithms the standard theory of data refinement, by which implementations are verified against their specifications, fails.

However it will be argued that in spite of the success of this study, anticipation of a discipline of software engineering is at present misplaced. It will be argued that the likely scenario is use of hybrid systems in which embedded quantum processors are exploited for executing specific procedures.

No familiarity of quantum computation will be assumed.

(This work was not supported by EPSRC.)