Realistic prospect for continuous variable quantum computing in circuit-QED

Abstract: This licentiate thesis is an extended introduction to the appended papers, which pertain to finding quantum states that are useful for continuous variable quantum computing. The useful states are characterized by a negative Wigner function. This is the underlying motivation for the appended papers, but why a negative Wigner function is necessary is not explained in the papers. This is elucidated in this thesis, with an accompanying discussion of which quantum mechanical properties allow quantum computers to surpass the capabilities of classical computers.