Revised December 22, 2015

CS 467: Introduction to Quantum Information Processing

Watch a video introduction to this course on YouTube.

General description

Quantum Information Processing (QIP) seeks to exploit the quantum features of nature to provide a qualitatively different and more powerful way of processing information than "classical" physics seems to allow. The course provides students with a basic foundation in the field of quantum information processing (often just called "quantum computing"). Students also explore the fundamental concepts in theoretical computer science and physics, which will allow them to pursue further studies in QIP.

Logistics

Audience

• CS, C&O, or Physics students. Usually taken in fourth year. Intended for students with either a CS/Math or Physics background with an interest in the physical and mathematical foundations of computation and/or the role of information in physics.

Normally available

• Winter

Related courses

• Pre-requisites: One of MATH 114, 115, 235, 245; Level at least 4A; Not open to General Mathematics students
• Cross-listed: CO 481, PHYS 467

For official details, see the UW calendar.

Software/hardware used

• None

Typical reference(s)

• Kaye, Laflamme, and Mosca, An Introduction to Quantum Computing, Oxford University Press, 2007
• Nielsen and Chuang, Quantum Computation and Quantum Information, Cambridge University Press, 2000

Required preparation

At the start of the course, students should be able to

• Use basic linear algebra and probability theory
• Perform calculations involving complex numbers and trigonometric functions
• Create and verify proofs in discrete mathematics

Learning objectives

At the end of the course, students should be able to

• Explain the mathematical model of quantum information and computation, including quantum states, measurements, and quantum circuits
• Perform calculations and analyses of processes involving quantum information
• Explain basic quantum algorithms, including Shor's factoring algorithm and Grover's search algorithm
• Describe basic physical challenges of building quantum computers (such as decoherence) and approaches to address these challenges

Typical syllabus

General introduction (3 hours)

• Physics and information
• Quantum superposition and interference
• Quantum bits and gates

Introduction to quantum mechanics (6 hours)

• Postulates of quantum mechanics
• Density matrices
• Bloch sphere
• Entanglement
• Non-locality
• Quantum teleportation

Introduction to computation and computational complexity (6 hours)

• Church-Turing thesis
• Quantum circuits
• Universality
• Basic complexity classes
• NP-completeness

Quantum algorithms (9 hours)

• Basic algorithms
• Quantum Fourier Transform
• Phase estimation
• Integer factorization
• Quantum searching

Quantum error correction (3 hours)

• Quantum error-correcting codes

Physical realizations (3 hours)

• Implementations of quantum information processors
• Examples of actual or proposed implementations

Other topics (6 hours)

• Quantum communication complexity, quantum cryptography, simulation of quantum systems