Geometrical aspects of quantum computing are reviewed elementarily for nonexperts and/or graduate students who are interested in both geometry and quantum computation. We show how to treat Grassmann manifolds which are very important examples of manifolds in mathematics and physics. Some of their applications to quantum computation and its efficiency problems are shown. An interesting current topic of holonomic quantum computation is also covered. Also, some related advanced topics are discussed.

Elastic wave propagation in weakly nonlinear elastic rods is considered in the time domain. The method of wave splitting is employed to formulate a standard scattering problem, forming the mathematical basis for both direct and inverse problems. A quasi-linear version of the Wendroff scheme (FDTD) is used to solve the direct problem. To solve the inverse problem, an asymptotic expansion is used for the wave field; this linearizes the order equations, allowing the use of standard numerical techniques. Analysis and numerical results are presented for three model inverse problems: (i) recovery of the nonlinear parameter in the stress-strain relation for a homogeneous elastic rod, (ii) recovery of the cross-sectional area for a homogeneous elastic rod, (iii) recovery of the elastic modulus for an inhomogeneous elastic rod.