The Hadamard gate is a fundamental single-qubit quantum gate that plays a crucial role in quantum information processing. It is represented by the matrix:
[ H = frac{1}{sqrt{2}} begin{bmatrix} 1 & 1 \ 1 & -1 end{bmatrix} ]When acting on a qubit in the computational basis, the Hadamard gate transforms the states |0⟩ and |1⟩ into the superposition states |+⟩ and |−⟩, respectively. The |+⟩ and |−⟩ states are defined as:
[ |+rangle = frac{1}{sqrt{2}} (|0⟩ + |1⟩) ] [ |-rangle = frac{1}{sqrt{2}} (|0⟩ – |1⟩) ]To understand the transformation in detail, consider applying the Hadamard gate to the state |0⟩:
[ H|0⟩ = frac{1}{sqrt{2}} begin{bmatrix} 1 & 1 \ 1 & -1 end{bmatrix} begin{bmatrix} 1 \ 0 end{bmatrix} = frac{1}{sqrt{2}} begin{bmatrix} 1 \ 1 end{bmatrix} = frac{1}{sqrt{2}} (|0⟩ + |1⟩) = |+rangle ]Similarly, applying the Hadamard gate to the state |1⟩ results in:
[ H|1⟩ = frac{1}{sqrt{2}} begin{bmatrix} 1 & 1 \ 1 & -1 end{bmatrix} begin{bmatrix} 0 \ 1 end{bmatrix} = frac{1}{sqrt{2}} begin{bmatrix} 1 \ -1 end{bmatrix} = frac{1}{sqrt{2}} (|0⟩ – |1⟩) = |-rangle ]Therefore, the Hadamard gate indeed transforms the computational basis states |0⟩ and |1⟩ into the superposition states |+⟩ and |−⟩, respectively.
This transformation is essential in quantum algorithms and quantum circuits. For instance, in quantum teleportation, the Hadamard gate is used in the preparation of the shared entangled state between two distant parties. Additionally, in quantum cryptography, the Hadamard gate is employed in quantum key distribution protocols to ensure secure communication.
The Hadamard gate is a crucial single-qubit gate in quantum information processing that transforms the computational basis states |0⟩ and |1⟩ into the superposition states |+⟩ and |−⟩, respectively.
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