Let Bn denote the set of all n-bit strings and let Hn denote the space of n qubits.
(a) Suppose f:B2→B1 has the property that f(x0)=1 for a unique x0∈B2 and suppose we have a quantum oracle Uf.
(i) Let ∣ψ0⟩=21∑x∈B2∣x⟩ and introduce the operators
Ix0=I2−2∣x0⟩⟨x0∣ and J=I2−2∣ψ0⟩⟨ψ0∣
on H2, where I2 is the identity operator. Give a geometrical description of the actions of −J,Ix0 and Q=−JIx0 on the 2-dimensional subspace of H2 given by the real span of ∣x0⟩ and ∣ψ0⟩. [You may assume without proof that the product of two reflections in R2 is a rotation through twice the angle between the mirror lines.]
(ii) Using the results of part (i), or otherwise, show how we may determine x0 with certainty, starting with a supply of qubits each in state ∣0⟩ and using Uf only once, together with other quantum operations that are independent of f.
(b) Suppose Hn=A⊕A⊥, where A is a fixed linear subspace with orthogonal complement A⊥. Let ΠA denote the projection operator onto A and let IA=I−2ΠA, where I is the identity operator on Hn.
(i) Show that any ∣ξ⟩∈Hn can be written as ∣ξ⟩=sinθ∣α⟩+cosθ∣β⟩, where θ∈[0,π/2], and ∣α⟩∈A and ∣β⟩∈A⊥ are normalised.
(ii) Let Iξ=I−2∣ξ⟩⟨ξ∣ and Q=−IξIA. Show that Q∣α⟩=−sin2θ∣β⟩+cos2θ∣α⟩.
(iii) Now assume, in addition, that Q∣β⟩=cos2θ∣β⟩+sin2θ∣α⟩ and that ∣ξ⟩= U∣0…0⟩ for some unitary operation U. Suppose we can implement the operators U,U†,IA as well as the operation I−2∣0…0⟩⟨0…0∣. In the case θ=π/10, show how the n-qubit state ∣α⟩ may be made exactly from ∣0…0⟩ by a process that succeeds with certainty.