2011 Volume 66 Issue 4 Pages 252-258
Quantum annealing is a generic algorithm intended for solving optimization problems by using quantum fluctuations. This algorithm can be regarded as a generic technique in quantum computation. Quantum annealing is very simple and yet applicable in principle to any optimization problems. It is also closely related to quantum adiabatic algorithm. In this article, we elucidate the current status and present a future outlook for quantum annealing.