Most influential papers in Quantum Computing

This post is a collection of the most influential quantum computing papers. I'd love to say that this is "the list of papers I wish existed when I came into the industry", but it's as much an effort to clean up my reserch notes. Those range from EndNote (which I started using when I started the MBA program at QUT) and then Zotero (when I joined Quantum Brilliance and began to drink from firehose of recommendations and experiences of my brilliant colleagues there).

In terms of methodology, I started with papers that are iconic or formative at key points of history, and then broke that timeline up into relatively clean eras of focus. Further additions were selected by either the quantity of citations or some personal knowledge around the activity that their publishjing spurned. Finally I added some notes around each to give some context around the selection and it's area of interest.

Historical Quantum Mechanics Foundations (1920s-1930s)

1. Dirac, P.A.M. (1928) "The Quantum Theory of the Electron" - Proceedings of the Royal Society A

   • Introduced the Dirac equation
   • Unified quantum mechanics with special relativity
   • Predicted the existence of antimatter
   • Fundamental for understanding quantum spin

2. von Neumann, J. (1932) "Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics" - Springer

   • Established mathematical framework for quantum mechanics
   • Introduced density matrix formalism
   • Developed quantum measurement theory
   • Essential for quantum information theory

3. Einstein, A., Podolsky, B., Rosen, A. (1935) "Can Quantum-Mechanical Description of Physical Reality Be Considered Complete?" - Physical Review

   • Introduced quantum entanglement concept
   • Sparked debates about quantum reality
   • Fundamental for quantum teleportation
   • Essential for quantum cryptography

4. Schrödinger, E. (1935) "Discussion of Probability Relations Between Separated Systems" - Mathematical Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society

   • Coined term "entanglement"
   • Analyzed quantum correlations
   • Influenced quantum information theory
   • Critical for understanding quantum resources

5. Bell, J.S. (1964) "On the Einstein Podolsky Rosen Paradox" - Physics Physique Fizika

   • Proposed Bell's inequality
   • Enabled experimental tests of quantum mechanics
   • Fundamental for quantum protocols
   • Essential for quantum cryptography verification

Foundational Theory (1980s)

1. Feynman, R.P. (1982) "Simulating Physics with Computers" - International Journal of Theoretical Physics

   • First proposed the concept of quantum computers
   • Established the fundamental relationship between quantum mechanics and computation
   • Introduced the idea that quantum systems could be used for computation

2. Deutsch, D. (1985) "Quantum Theory, the Church-Turing Principle and the Universal Quantum Computer" - Proceedings of the Royal Society A

   • Introduced the first mathematical model of a quantum computer
   • Defined the quantum Turing machine
   • Established the theoretical foundation for quantum algorithms

3. Deutsch, D., Jozsa, R. (1992) "Rapid Solutions of Problems by Quantum Computation" - Proceedings of the Royal Society A

   • First quantum algorithm demonstrating quantum speedup
   • Proved quantum computers could solve certain problems faster than classical computers
   • Introduced key concepts for quantum algorithm design

Quantum Algorithms and Complexity (1990s)

4. Shor, P.W. (1994) "Algorithms for Quantum Computation: Discrete Logarithms and Factoring" - IEEE FOCS

   • Introduced quantum factoring algorithm
   • Demonstrated first practical application threatening classical cryptography
   • Sparked widespread interest in quantum computing research

5. Grover, L.K. (1996) "A Fast Quantum Mechanical Algorithm for Database Search" - ACM STOC

   • Presented quantum search algorithm
   • Proved quadratic speedup for unstructured search
   • Demonstrated quantum advantage for a broad class of problems

6. Bennett, C.H., et al. (1993) "Teleporting an Unknown Quantum State via Dual Classical and Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Channels" - Physical Review Letters

   • Introduced quantum teleportation
   • Fundamental for quantum communication protocols
   • Essential for distributed quantum computing

Error Correction and Fault Tolerance (1990s)

7. Shor, P.W. (1995) "Scheme for Reducing Decoherence in Quantum Computer Memory" - Physical Review A

   • First quantum error correction code
   • Proved quantum computation could be made robust
   • Enabled practical quantum computing research

8. Steane, A.M. (1996) "Error Correcting Codes in Quantum Theory" - Physical Review Letters

   • Introduced CSS quantum error correction codes
   • Simplified implementation of quantum error correction
   • Connected quantum and classical error correction

9. Kitaev, A.Y. (1997) "Quantum Computations: Algorithms and Error Correction" - Russian Mathematical Surveys

   • Introduced topological quantum computing
   • Developed surface codes
   • Fundamental for modern error correction strategies

Physical Implementation (2000s)

10. Cirac, J.I., Zoller, P. (1995) "Quantum Computations with Cold Trapped Ions" - Physical Review Letters

    • Proposed first practical quantum computing architecture
    • Demonstrated trapped ion quantum gates
    • Still influential in current experimental implementations

11. Loss, D., DiVincenzo, D.P. (1998) "Quantum Computation with Quantum Dots" - Physical Review A

    • Introduced semiconductor-based quantum computing
    • Proposed spin qubits in quantum dots
    • Influenced solid-state quantum computing development

12. Kane, B.E. (1998) "A Silicon-Based Nuclear Spin Quantum Computer" - Nature

    • Proposed silicon-based quantum computing
    • Influenced semiconductor qubit development
    • Connected quantum computing to existing semiconductor technology

Quantum Supremacy and Modern Developments (2010s)

13. Preskill, J. (2018) "Quantum Computing in the NISQ Era and Beyond" - Quantum

    • Introduced NISQ concept
    • Framed near-term quantum computing challenges
    • Influenced research directions and expectations

14. Arute, F., et al. (2019) "Quantum Supremacy Using a Programmable Superconducting Processor" - Nature

    • Demonstrated first quantum computational advantage
    • Validated superconducting qubit architecture
    • Marked transition to practical quantum computing

15. Harrow, A.W., Hassidim, A., Lloyd, S. (2009) "Quantum Algorithm for Linear Systems of Equations" - Physical Review Letters

    • Introduced HHL algorithm
    • Demonstrated quantum advantage for linear algebra
    • Influenced quantum machine learning development

Quantum Machine Learning and Algorithms (2010s-2020s)

16. Peruzzo, A., et al. (2014) "A Variational Eigenvalue Solver on a Quantum Processor" - Nature Communications

    • Introduced the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE)
    • Pioneered hybrid quantum-classical algorithms
    • Essential for NISQ-era applications

17. Farhi, E., et al. (2014) "A Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm" - arXiv

    • Introduced QAOA algorithm
    • Connected quantum computing to combinatorial optimization
    • Significant for near-term quantum applications

18. Biamonte, J., et al. (2017) "Quantum Machine Learning" - Nature

    • Comprehensive review of quantum machine learning
    • Connected quantum algorithms with machine learning theory
    • Influenced quantum-enhanced ML research

Quantum Error Mitigation (2015-2020s)

19. Kandala, A., et al. (2017) "Hardware-efficient Variational Quantum Eigensolver for Small Molecules and Quantum Magnets" - Nature

    • Demonstrated practical error mitigation techniques
    • Advanced hybrid quantum-classical computing
    • Influenced experimental implementations

20. Li, Y., Benjamin, S.C. (2017) "Efficient Variational Quantum Simulator Incorporating Active Error Minimization" - Physical Review X

    • Introduced active error minimization
    • Advanced practical quantum simulation
    • Important for NISQ devices

Quantum Communication and Networks (2000s-2020s)

21. Kimble, H.J. (2008) "The Quantum Internet" - Nature

    • Outlined vision for quantum networks
    • Connected quantum computing with communication
    • Influenced quantum network development

22. Raussendorf, R., Briegel, H.J. (2001) "A One-Way Quantum Computer" - Physical Review Letters

    • Introduced measurement-based quantum computing
    • Provided alternative quantum computing model
    • Influenced quantum network architectures

Quantum Advantage Demonstrations (2020s)

23. Zhong, H.S., et al. (2020) "Quantum Computational Advantage Using Photons" - Science

    • Demonstrated photonic quantum advantage
    • Advanced optical quantum computing
    • Validated alternative quantum computing architecture

24. Wu, Y., et al. (2021) "Strong Quantum Computational Advantage Using a Superconducting Quantum Processor" - Physical Review Letters

    • Advanced quantum advantage demonstrations
    • Validated scalable quantum architecture
    • Influenced practical quantum computing development

Quantum Simulation (2000s-2020s)

25. Aspuru-Guzik, A., et al. (2005) "Simulated Quantum Computation of Molecular Energies" - Science

    • Pioneered quantum chemistry simulation
    • Connected quantum computing with practical applications
    • Influenced quantum chemistry development

26. Lloyd, S. (1996) "Universal Quantum Simulators" - Science

    • Established theoretical foundation for quantum simulation
    • Connected Feynman's vision with practical algorithms
    • Influenced quantum simulation development

Quantum Error Correction and Fault Tolerance (2000s-2020s)

27. Fowler, A.G., et al. (2012) "Surface Codes: Towards Practical Large-Scale Quantum Computation" - Physical Review A

    • Advanced practical error correction
    • Influenced scalable quantum computing design
    • Connected theory with implementation

28. Gottesman, D. (1997) "Stabilizer Codes and Quantum Error Correction" - Ph.D. Thesis, Caltech

    • Introduced stabilizer formalism
    • Simplified quantum error correction theory
    • Fundamental for modern quantum computing

Quantum Cryptography and Security (1990s-2020s)

29. Bennett, C.H., Brassard, G. (1984) "Quantum Cryptography: Public Key Distribution and Coin Tossing" - International Conference on Computers, Systems & Signal Processing

    • Introduced BB84 protocol
    • Founded quantum cryptography
    • Influenced quantum security development

30. Ekert, A.K. (1991) "Quantum Cryptography Based on Bell's Theorem" - Physical Review Letters

    • Connected quantum cryptography with entanglement
    • Advanced quantum security theory
    • Influenced quantum network security