DiVincenzo Criteria for Quantum Computation

Five requirements for a physical system to implement quantum computation, articulated by David DiVincenzo (1996/2000). Every qubit platform in the Zoo is evaluated against these criteria.

The Five Criteria

1. Well-defined qubits — A scalable physical system with well-characterized two-level quantum systems.
2. Reliable state preparation — Ability to initialize qubits to a known state (e.g., $|0⟩$).
3. Long decoherence times — Coherence time $T_2$ much longer than gate operation time. The ratio $T_2/{\tau }_{\text{gate}}$ sets the number of operations before errors dominate.
4. Universal gate set — A complete set of quantum gates (single-qubit + entangling two-qubit gate).
5. Qubit-specific measurement — Ability to measure individual qubits in the computational basis.

Additional Criteria (for quantum communication)

6. Interconversion between stationary and flying qubits.
7. Faithful transmission of flying qubits between specified locations.

Significance

These criteria provide a universal scorecard for comparing qubit implementations. No platform perfectly satisfies all criteria — the field advances by pushing the boundaries on each.

References

• D. P. DiVincenzo, “The Physical Implementation of Quantum Computation,” Fortschritte der Physik 48, 771 (2000). arXiv:quant-ph/0002077
• loss-divincenzo-1998-quantum-dots — applies criteria to quantum dots
• cirac-zoller-gate — applies criteria to trapped ions