Quantum Gates and Circuits
The building blocks of quantum programs and how they are composed.
Quantum Gates and Circuits
What is quantum gates and circuits?
A quantum gate is a reversible operation on qubits; a quantum circuit is a time-ordered sequence of gates ending in measurement.
Single-qubit gates rotate a state; two-qubit gates such as CNOT create entanglement.
A small universal gate set can approximate any quantum computation, though hardware supports only a few native gates.
Recommended learning sequence
- Quantum Gates and CircuitsThe building blocks of quantum programs and how they are composed.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a quantum circuit?
- A sequence of quantum gates applied to qubits over time, usually finishing with measurement.
Lessons in this topic
Related subjects
Quantum Algorithms
A quantum algorithm is a procedure that uses quantum operations and interference to solve a problem, often with fewer steps than the best known classical method.
Quantum Error Correction
Quantum error correction encodes a logical qubit across many physical qubits so errors can be detected and corrected without reading the stored information.
Quantum Hardware
Quantum hardware comprises the physical systems and control electronics that implement and manipulate qubits.