FK7052 - Introduction to quantum information and computing VT18

If you wish to get the oral exam done early, just talk to me and we set up a date for it.

On this page you find information about the course "Introduction to quantum information and computing" (kurskod FK7052) given during spring 2018 for students at the physics bachelor/master program at Stockholm university.

Course content

The course treats the field of quantum information; the aspects of quantum mechanics are analyzed in light of information theory. As it turns out, this modern approach is a natural language to use in order to understand for example entanglement and the effects of decoherence. The course can be devided into for parts:

General quantum theory; entanglement, the theory of measurements, density operators and open quantum systems....

Information theory - classical and quantum; concept of entropy, quantum cryptography...

Quantum computing; quantum circuits, logic gates, quantum algorithms, error correction...

Physical realizations; cavity/circuit QED, ion traps, cold atoms, topological quantum computing.

The topics brought up in the course will provide a deeper understanding for quantum mechanics by employing a more modern viewpoint of the field.

Course goal

After the course, the student is expected to have understood the basic ideas of quantum information theory. That includes among others; quantum cryptography, entanglement and non-locality, density operators and decoherence, generalized measurements, quantum circuits, quantum algorithms like Shor's factorizing algorithm, and error correction.

Literature and teaching form

The course follows closely the book:

Stig Stenholm & Kalle-Antti Suominen, Quantum approach to informatics, Wiley 2005.

This book serves as the course literature. Other books that may serve as complementary material for the extra interested student could be: Nielsen & Chuang, Quantum computation and quantum information, Cambridge University Press 2010 (This book goes in more depth and covers a wider range of topics); Barnett, Quantum information, Oxford University Press 2009 (Roughly same level as Stenholm/Suominen, but includes numerous problems); Preskill, Quantum information and computation, lecture notes (Similar level as Nielsen/Chuang, but more compressed).

The course consists of 18 lectures, see scheme below.

Examination

The examination consists of seven sets of homework assignments and one oral exam. The total some of credits, collected from both the oral exam and from the homework assignments, give you the final grade. For passing the course you need to collect at least 60% of the total credits and 50% of the credits on the oral exam. For assignments handed in late, one credit will be subtracted for every late working day.

Grading criteria

The course grading criteria can be downloaded here.

Course schedule

The schedule can be found here.

Lectures

The table below gives a most preliminary schedule of what the lectures are planed to cover.

Lecture Date Topic

1 Wed 21/3 Postulates of quantum mechanics.

2 Fri 23/4 The qubit, density matrices.

3 26/3 Density matrices.

4 Fri 4/4 Purification, schmidt decomposition, entanglement measures.

5 Wed 6/4 Nonlocality.

6 Fri 11/4 Teleportation, Bell inequalities.

7 Wed 13/4 GHZ states, von Neumann measurements, POVM's.

8 Wed 18/4 Open quantum systems; master equations, decoherence.

9 Fri 20/4 Open quantum systems, classical communication theory.

10 Wed 25/4 Classical communication theory, classical entropies.

11 Fri 27/4 Quantum information and entropies.

12 Wed 2/5 Quantum channels.

13 Fri 4/5 Quantum cryptography.

14 Wed 9/5 State discrimination, fidelities.

15 Fri 16/5 Boolean algebra, quantum circuits.

16 Wed 18/5 Touring machine, computational complexity.

17 Fri 23/5 Quantum algorithms, Shor's algorithm.

18 Wed 25/5 Error correction, fault tolerance, realizations.

Lecture	Date	Topic
1	Wed 21/3	Postulates of quantum mechanics.
2	Fri 23/4	The qubit, density matrices.
3	26/3	Density matrices.
4	Fri 4/4	Purification, schmidt decomposition, entanglement measures.
5	Wed 6/4	Nonlocality.
6	Fri 11/4	Teleportation, Bell inequalities.
7	Wed 13/4	GHZ states, von Neumann measurements, POVM's.
8	Wed 18/4	Open quantum systems; master equations, decoherence.
9	Fri 20/4	Open quantum systems, classical communication theory.
10	Wed 25/4	Classical communication theory, classical entropies.
11	Fri 27/4	Quantum information and entropies.
12	Wed 2/5	Quantum channels.
13	Fri 4/5	Quantum cryptography.
14	Wed 9/5	State discrimination, fidelities.
15	Fri 16/5	Boolean algebra, quantum circuits.
16	Wed 18/5	Touring machine, computational complexity.
17	Fri 23/5	Quantum algorithms, Shor's algorithm.
18	Wed 25/5	Error correction, fault tolerance, realizations.

Homework problems

If you hand in the problems later than the deadline I subtract one point per late working day. Deadline is midnight the day given below.

Problems set 1, download here. Hand in before 4/4.

Problems set 2, download here. Hand in before 11/4.

Problems set 3, download here. Hand in before 20/4.

Problems set 4, download here. Hand in before 4/5.

Problems set 5, download here. Hand in before 16/5.

Problems set 6, download here. Hand in before 23/5.

Problems set 7, download here. Hand in before 1/6.

For any questions send an email (jolarson@fysik.su.se) or just pass by my office (C5:3017)!