Objectif
We seek to address two fundamental issues in Quantum Information and Computation (QIC), which we see as of key importance to its continued successful development. Firstly, we seek to gain a deeper insight into what Quantum Computation (QC) is in general, its structure, scope and limits, in the light of the recent development of several alternative formats for QC, in particular the measurement-based models. To this end, we will for example explore the axiomatic boundaries of QC, study QC resources and control structures, and aim to identify the essential ingredients responsible for quantum algorithmic speed-up, with the ultimate aim of developing a convincing general model for QC. Secondly, we aim to develop high-level methods for QIC, adapting and extending the methods successfully used in classical computation, such as type systems, logics and calculi, and also the underlying mathematical structures such as categorical algebra.
These high-level methods also have direct applications to QIC in their own right, e.g. for analyzing QCs with distributed resources, and in particular for the design and verification of secure quantum information protocols. These two aims are in fact inextricably inter-twined, since a deeper analysis of the fundamental concepts of QIC must go hand in hand with a sharper elucidation of its formal structure and logical content. Moreover, this research is inherently inter-disciplinary, drawing on insights and methods developed within both Computer Science and Quantum Physics. This is strongly reflected in our consortium, which includes leading figures in both disciplines. We aim to contribute to developing a common framework which brings the various communities together, establishing QIC as a systematic discipline in its own right. Our success would extend the leading European role in structure-oriented informatics research to the rapidly emerging field of QIC.