Quantum circuit optimization using quantum Karnaugh map.

Every quantum algorithm is represented by set of quantum circuits. Any optimization scheme for a quantum algorithm and quantum computation is very important especially in the arena of quantum computation with limited number of qubit resources. Major obstacle to this goal is the large number of elemental quantum gates to build even small quantum circuits. Here, we propose and demonstrate a general technique that significantly reduces the number of elemental gates to build quantum circuits. This is impactful for the design of quantum circuits, and we show below this could reduce the number of gates by 60% and 46% for the four- and five-qubit Toffoli gates, two key quantum circuits, respectively, as compared with simplest known decomposition. Reduced circuit complexity often goes hand-in-hand with higher efficiency and bandwidth. The quantum circuit optimization technique proposed in this work would provide a significant step forward in the optimization of quantum circuits and quantum algorithms, and has the potential for wider application in quantum computation.