THE QLS ALGORITHM FOR RADAR CROSS SECTION CALCULATION

Abstract

Many problems cannot be solved analytically, thus numerical methods are required. It turns out that many problems are too complex and therefore beyond the reach of current algorithms and computers. Quantum computation might offer fundamental improvements in solving these problems. However, it is a difficult task to estimate the computational power of quantum algorithms. The aim of this thesis is to find applications related to aerospace especially well suited for quantum computation and estimate their possible quantum advantage. In particular we focus on the calculation of radar cross sections, which has been suggested as a promising candidate for quantum speedup. It turns out that the main problem lies in the input of classical data. Hence, the reimplementation of classical finite element method is needed, requiring a substantial amount of quantum resources. Asymptotically a quantum speedup is achievable but it is far beyond the reach of today’s capabilities to successfully implement the quantum algorithm for this application. Additionally, a serious prediction regarding the timeframe is not foreseeable yet. Substantial breakthroughs are necessary to make quantum computation compete against classical computation in calculating radar cross sections using the finite element method.