Quantum Factoring Algorithm: Resource Estimation and Survey of Experiments

It is known that Shor’s algorithm can break many cryptosystems such as RSA encryption, provided that large-scale quantum computers are realized. Thus far, several experiments for the factorization of the small composites such as 15 and 21 have been conducted using small-scale quantum computers. In this study, we investigate the details of quantum circuits used in several factoring experiments. We then indicate that some of the circuits have been constructed under the condition that the order of an element modulo a target composite is known in advance. Because the order must be unknown in the experiments, they are inappropriate for designing the quantum circuit of Shor’s factoring algorithm. We also indicate that the circuits used in the other experiments are constructed by relying considerably on the target composite number to be factorized.