Second order error correction in quantum computing

Abstract

Error correction codes are necessary for the development of reliable quantum computers. Such codes can prevent the lost of information from decoherence caused by external perturbations. This thesis evaluates a five qubit code for correcting second order bit-flip errors. The code consists of encoding, decoherence, decoding, and error correction steps. This work analyzes the proposed code using geometric algebra methods and examines the state of the system after each step in the process.