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K - Period finding and continued fractions

from Appendices

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

N. David Mermin
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
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Summary

We illustrate here the mathematics of the final (post-quantum-computational) stage of Shor's period-finding procedure. The final measurement produces (with high probability) an integer y that is within ½ of an integral multiple of 2n/r, where n is the number of Qbits in the input register, satisfying 2n > N2 > r2. Deducing the period r of the function f from such an integer y makes use of the theorem that if x is an estimate for the fraction j/r that differs from it by less than ½r2, then j/r will appear as one of the partial sums in the continued-fraction expansion of x. In the case of Shor's period finding algorithm x = y/2n. If j and r happen to have no factors in common, r is given by the denominator of the partial sum with the largest denominator less than N. Otherwise the continued-fraction expansion of x gives r0: r divided by whatever factor it has in common with the random integer j. If several small multiples of r0 fail to be a period of f, one repeats the whole procedure, getting a different submultiple r1 of r. There is a good chance that r will be the least common multiple of r0 and r1, or a not terribly large multiple of it. If not, one repeats the whole procedure a few more times until one succeeds in finding a period of f.

Type
Chapter
Information
Quantum Computer Science
An Introduction
, pp. 197 - 200
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

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