A universal quantum gate set can implement any unitary operator on any finite number of qubits, exactly when arbitrary continuous gate parameters are allowed, or to arbitrary accuracy with a suitable finite gate alphabet. More precisely, for every target and there is a finite quantum circuit with in operator norm. This ignores only an overall global phase of the complete operation. Universality lets a fixed collection of controllable elementary operations run arbitrary quantum algorithms rather than requiring a different physical interaction for each algorithm.
All single-qubit unitary gates, together with the controlled-NOT gate between selectable pairs, form an exact universal quantum gate set. One way to see sufficiency is to eliminate entries of a finite unitary matrix by two-level rotations between computational basis vectors; these rotations decompose into controlled single-qubit rotations, which in turn decompose into single-qubit gates and controlled-NOT gates. Single-qubit gates alone preserve product states and cannot supply general quantum entanglement. A finite approximate universal example is the Hadamard gate, the T gate , and the controlled-NOT gate; finite exact words over a finite alphabet cannot represent every continuously parameterized unitary operator exactly.
Distinguish the Hamiltonian operator from the Hadamard gate . For the printed collisional phase gate,As written, has units of energy. The Schrödinger equation givesbecause only has a nonzero energy eigenvalue. In the ordered computational basis , defineIf an interaction strength is instead quoted as an angular frequency , the Hamiltonian operator is and . An alternative definition with would have . The minus sign above follows the usual time-evolution operator convention. At these conventions give the same .
For the quantum circuit, use on the first qubit to move the selective minus sign from to :Conjugating the target of this Controlled-Z gate by the Hadamard gate gives the required controlled-NOT gate:The rightmost matrix acts first. Thus the network applies , then , then , and maps to , where is exclusive or.
Controlled-NOT from the printed collisional phase gate
. Time runs from left to right. Pauli X gates act on the first wire and Hadamard gates on the second, before and after the selective phase gate. The phase gate changes the sign of 01 only. Details.