MilestoneTheory & algorithmsConfirmed

Kitaev extends Shor's results with a method for measuring eigenvalues

Nov 20, 1995

Alexei Kitaev gives an efficient quantum algorithm for the Abelian stabilizer problem, which includes factoring and discrete logarithms. It rests on a procedure for measuring an eigenvalue of a unitary operation, the technique now known as quantum phase estimation.

Why it matters

Phase estimation became a standard building block of quantum algorithms, from factoring to estimating the energies of molecules.

Alexei Kitaev

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Related

• Peter Shor shows a quantum computer could factor large numbers quickly (Nov 1994)
• Daniel Simon finds an exponential quantum speedup that inspires Shor (Nov 1994)