Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a direct macroscopic manifestation of the quantum mechanics of the intrinsic angular momentum of atomic nuclei. It is best known for its extraordinary range of applications, which include molecular structure determination, medical imaging, and measurements of flow and diffusion rates. Most recently, liquid-state NMR spectroscopy has been found to provide a powerful experimental tool for the development and evaluation of the coherent control techniques needed for quantum information processing. This burgeoning new interdisciplinary field has the potential to achieve cryptographic, communications, and computational feats far beyond what is possible with known classical physics. Indeed, NMR has made the demonstration of many of these feats sufficiently simple to be carried out by high school summer interns working in our laboratory (see the last two authors). In this paper the basic principles of quantum information processing by NMR spectroscopy are described, along with several illustrative experiments suitable for incorporation into the undergraduate physics curriculum. These experiments are spin–spin interferometry, an implementation of the quantum Fourier transform, and the quantum simulation of a harmonic oscillator.
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March 2002
QUANTUM INFORMATION/COMPUTING|
March 01 2002
Quantum information processing by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
T. F. Havel;
T. F. Havel
Department of Nuclear Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02115
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D. G. Cory;
D. G. Cory
Department of Nuclear Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02115
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S. Lloyd;
S. Lloyd
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02115
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N. Boulant;
N. Boulant
Department of Nuclear Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02115
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E. M. Fortunato;
E. M. Fortunato
Department of Nuclear Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02115
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M. A. Pravia;
M. A. Pravia
Department of Nuclear Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02115
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G. Teklemariam;
G. Teklemariam
Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02115
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Y. S. Weinstein;
Y. S. Weinstein
Department of Nuclear Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02115
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A. Bhattacharyya;
A. Bhattacharyya
Research Science Institute, Center for Excellence in Education, 140 Park Street SE, Vienna, Virginia 22180
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J. Hou
J. Hou
Research Science Institute, Center for Excellence in Education, 140 Park Street SE, Vienna, Virginia 22180
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Am. J. Phys. 70, 345–362 (2002)
Article history
Received:
August 26 2001
Accepted:
December 05 2001
Citation
T. F. Havel, D. G. Cory, S. Lloyd, N. Boulant, E. M. Fortunato, M. A. Pravia, G. Teklemariam, Y. S. Weinstein, A. Bhattacharyya, J. Hou; Quantum information processing by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Am. J. Phys. 1 March 2002; 70 (3): 345–362. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.1446857
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