# Quantum parallelism and Deutsch's algorithm - what is $U_f$ really? [closed]

I'm trying to understand quantum parallelism ideas leading the Deutsch's algorithm. The circuit in question is

I understand that we end up with $$|\psi_3 \rangle = \pm | f(0) \oplus f(1) \rangle \left[ \frac{|0 \rangle - |1 \rangle }{\sqrt{2} } \right].$$ Then by measuring the first qubit we can determine $$f(0) \oplus f(1),$$ and the claim is that we have thus determined a global property of $$f(x),$$ namely $$f(0) \oplus f(1),$$ using only one evaluation of $$f(x)$$.

I have three questions:

1. Where does that single evaluation of $$f(x)$$ actually occur? Is it in the construction of $$U_f$$?
2. What is $$U_f$$ in this case? I realize it depends on $$f$$, but how can we build it using at most one evaluation of $$f$$?
3. In the circuit above, the $$x$$ input to $$U_f$$ is $$(|0\rangle + |1 \rangle)/\sqrt{2})$$. What does it mean to apply (classical) $$f$$ to this $$x$$?

I realize all 3 of these questions are probably tied up somehow.

• StackExchange sites are tailored towards posts asking individual, laser-focused questions. You can ask different questions in separate posts.
– glS
May 29, 2021 at 7:21
• Does this answer your question? Where is the parallelism in Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm? May 30, 2021 at 2:21
• @theQman, did you ever resubmit this question as 3 separate questions as requested by the closure? Apr 25 at 18:45

Where does that single evaluation of $$f(x)$$ actually occur? Is it in the construction of $$U_f$$?

$$U_f$$ is an implementation of $$f$$ in quantum gates. The evaluation of $$f$$ occurs in the course of applying the gates making up $$U_f$$ to the qubits.

What is $$U_f$$ in this case? I realize it depends on $$f$$, but how can we build it using at most one evaluation of $$f$$?

You don't evaluate $$f$$ when building $$U_f$$, if by building it you mean determining what primitive gates make it up.

You could imagine that $$f(x)$$ is the first bit of the SHA-256 hash of $$x$$. In that case, $$U_f$$ would be a reversible circuit computing a SHA-256 hash. This might require, say, 100,000 primitive gates. Ultimately, there are only 4 functions that $$f$$ could be, but determining which of those four functions it is would require around 200,000 primitive operations. Determining $$f(0)$$ or $$f(1)$$ alone would require around 100,000 operations. Classically, determining $$f(0)\oplus f(1)$$ would require around 200,000 operations, but with Deutsch's algorithm you can find it in 100,000.

In the circuit above, the $$x$$ input to $$U_f$$ is $$(|0\rangle + |1 \rangle)/\sqrt{2})$$. What does it mean to apply (classical) $$f$$ to this $$x$$?

It doesn't mean anything to apply $$f$$ to it, but it means something to apply $$U_f$$ to it. By definition $$U_f$$ takes $$|x\rangle|y\rangle$$ to $$|x\rangle|y\oplus f(x)\rangle$$ for $$x,y\in\{0,1\}$$. This definition only covers four inputs, but adding the requirement that $$U_f$$ be linear completely fixes $$U_f$$. For example, you must have $$U_f\,(|0\rangle{+}|1\rangle)\,|0\rangle = U_f|0\rangle|0\rangle+U_f|1\rangle|0\rangle = |0\rangle|f(0)\rangle+|1\rangle|f(1)\rangle$$ (times $$1/\sqrt2$$).

• Thanks, this is helpful, but I think what's throwing me off is: is it really cheaper to go through the process of implementing $SHA-256$ as a quantum circuit $U_f$ than it is to simply evaluate $SHA-256(0)$ and $SHA-256(1)$? The process of transcribing SHA-256 (for example) as $U_f$ is still a bit of a mystery for me. May 29, 2021 at 15:15
• @theQman It's not really cheaper. The algorithm is useless in practice. Grover's algorithm is a better example of the same general idea. There's a process for converting classical circuits into classical reversible circuits, which you can then make quantum by using gates that act equivalently on computational basis states. It's tedious but not difficult. Although the reversible circuit requires far more gates than the irreversible one, which also destroys your quantum advantage in this case. May 29, 2021 at 15:58