Models of Quantum Algorithms in Sets and Relations

Abstract: We construct abstract models of blackbox quantum algorithms using a model of quantum computation in sets and relations, a setting that is usually considered for nondeterministic classical computation. This alternative model of quantum computation (QCRel), though unphysical, nevertheless faithfully models its computational structure. Our main results are models of the Deutsch-Jozsa, single-shot Grovers, and GroupHomID algorithms in QCRel. These results provide new tools to analyze the semantics of quantum computation and improve our understanding of the relationship between computational speedups and the structure of physical theories. They also exemplify a method of extending physical/computational intuition into new mathematical settings.