The discovery and development of the quantum factoring algorithm

Shortly after quantum mechanics was first formulated around 1930, it became evident that it was a strange theory. It took many years, however, before anybody suggested putting this strangeness to use.. It turns out that this strangeness can be used to accomplish tasks with quantum information processing that are not possible classically. One example of this, and the one that really drew attention to this phenomenon, was my discovery that quantum computers could factor large numbers into primes in manageable time frames, something that would take digital computers billions of years.

We will recount how I discovered the quantum factoring algorithm, briefly explain the principles behind how it works, and explain some recent developments which have the potential for speeding up the algorithm.