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I was very inspired by Michio Kaku's explanation on the possibilities of quantum computing and also listening to Talia Gershon's talk on it.

As I come from a business & analytics background, what materials can I begin exploring to prepare to learn more about the field of quantum computing? Eg. what would I need to study to understand Peter Shor's algorithm, Siraj's video on physics, etc.

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General background:

Quantum computing (theory) is at the intersection of math, physics and computer science. (Experiment also can involve electrical engineering.) Eventually you will want to learn aspects of all of these fields, but when starting you can use any for an entry into the field. Within each field, the subjects you will want to know are:

Physics:

First learn quantum mechanics. At more advanced levels, various aspects of quantum information overlap with AMO, condensed matter and high energy.

More

Math:

First linear algebra and probability. Later my preferences would be to learn some group and representation theory, random matrix theory and functional analysis, but eventually most fields of math have some overlap with quantum information, and other researchers may emphasize different areas of math.

Computer Science:

Most theory topics are relevant although are less crucial at first: i.e. algorithms, cryptography, information theory, error-correcting codes, optimization, complexity, machine learning. If you haven't had any CS theory exposure, undergrad algorithms is a good place to start because it will show you CS-theory ways of thinking, including ideas like asymptotic analysis.

More:


General quantum computing texts:

Here is a very partial list of resources for learning more about quantum computing and quantum information.


If you want to get a flavor of what research is currently hot, then one place to look is at the program of the last few QIP workshops. A less curated list of interesting papers can be found at scirate.com , where looking at the most scited papers in the last year should bring up some interesting work.


Specialized sources:

Some more specialized books/lecture notes are here. These are more modern and in-depth than the general resources above.

NOTE: The above information is based on this MIT page.


Other StackExchange Questions.

Credits : @SanchayanDutta

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  • $\begingroup$ Hi. Welcome to Quantum Computing SE! Please note our policy on resource-request questions. You also need to include what the resource contains and a review of the material therein. Thanks! $\endgroup$ May 25, 2019 at 16:25
  • $\begingroup$ Thanks @SanchayanDutta for pointing out. I'm too a newbie in this field and cant well explain my answer up to the required level.Initially I tired to comment but while doing so prompted me not to post answers there. $\endgroup$
    – Tupio
    May 25, 2019 at 16:43
  • $\begingroup$ I've added the text from the page you link, just in case it becomes obsolete in the future. $\endgroup$ May 25, 2019 at 17:53
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    $\begingroup$ Thanks magic_man & SanchayanDutta!! $\endgroup$
    – jchua
    May 26, 2019 at 2:56
  • $\begingroup$ "Experiment also can involve electrical engineering" - the risk of the success of associated technology is basically in measurement of quantum states and in that sense EE is crucial; would have expected more than a side note, here. $\endgroup$ Feb 8, 2022 at 12:24

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