Running Shor's Algorithm on a complete, gate-by-gate implementation of a virtual, universal quantum computer

This Thesis presents a complete, microscopic, gate-by-gate simulation of a universal quantum computer, implemented on a classical PC. The resulting virtual quantum computer is then put to work running Shor’s algorithm, a quantum program that is capable of cracking banking, military, and government codes. The virtual quantum computer is an ideal laboratory for testing quantum computing under realistic conditions such as the influence of noise on the quantum computing process. We obtain the surprising result that quantum computing is unexpectedly robust against the influence of noise. We propose an analytical scaling relation, verified by actual quantum runs of Shor’s algorithm, that have the potential to result in considerable hardware savings. In addition, an error in the literature is pointed out.