Abstract
It is conjectured that quantum computers are able to solve certain problems more quickly than any deterministic or probabilistic computer. A quantum computer exploits the rules of quantum mechanics to speed up computations. However, it is a formidable task to build a quantum computer, since the quantum mechanical systems storing the information unavoidably interact with their environment. Therefore, one has to mitigate the resulting noise and decoherence effects to avoid computational errors. In this work, I study various aspects of quantum error control codes -- the key component of fault-tolerant quantum information processing. I present the fundamental theory and necessary background of quantum codes and construct many families of quantum block and convolutional codes over finite fields, in addition to families of subsystem codes over symmetric and asymmetric channels. Particularly, many families of quantum BCH, RS, duadic, and convolutional codes are constructed over finite fie