Quantum money

Scott Aaronson, Edward Farhi, David Gosset, Avinatan Hassidim, Jonathan Kelner, Andrew Lutomirski

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

Everybody likes money. It is very easy to spend. With cash and credit cards, you can buy what you want when you want it. So why are quantum computing theorists trying to rethink money? There are a few things we all take for granted about money. We trust credit card companies to keep our transactions private and to send the right amount of money to the right place quickly. When we use paper money, we are used to the fact that we have to carry it physically with us, and we accept the risk of occasional counterfeiting. Today, we use two basic kinds of money. First, there is the kind we carry around-coins, bank notes, poker chips, and precious metals. These are objects that are made by a mint or dug out of the ground. It is easy to verify that money is valid. You can look for the security features on paper money, you can feel coins in your hand, and, if you really know what you are doing, you can assay precious metals. All of these kinds of physical money can be counterfeited, though-if you have the right equipment, you can print paper money, stamp out your own coins, or make alloys or platings

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)84-92
Number of pages9
JournalCommunications of the ACM
Volume55
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2012

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Quantum money'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this