Endorsements

Chuang and Nielsen have produced the first comprehensive study of quantum computation. To develop a robust understanding of this subject one must integrate many ideas whose origins are variously within physics, computer science, or mathematics. Until this text, putting together the essential material, much less mastering it, has been a challenge. Our Universe has intrinsic capabilities and limitations on the processing of information. What these are will ultimately determine the course of technology and shape our efforts to find a fundamental physical theory. This book is an excellent way for any scientist or graduate student - in any of the related fields - to enter the discussion.
Michael Freedman, Fields Medalist, Microsoft

Nielsen and Chuang's new text is remarkably thorough and up-to-date, covering many aspects of this rapidly evolving field from a physics perspective, complementing the computer science perspective of Gruska's 1999 text. The authors have succeeded in producing a self-contained book accessible to anyone with a good undergraduate background in math, computer science or physical sciences. An independent student could spend an enjoyable year reading this book and emerge ready to tackle the current literature and do serious research. To streamline the exposition, footnotes have been gathered into short but lively History and Further Reading sections at the end of each chapter.
Charles H. Bennett, IBM

This is an excellent book. The field is already too big to cover completely in one book, but Nielsen and Chuang have made a good selection of topics, and explain the topics they have chosen very well.
Peter Shor, AT&T Research