Course

Unit 1

Review of simple quantum mechanical applications: Quantum dynamics, particle in a square well potential, quantum tunnelling, two-level systems, electron spin and photon polarization states, electromagnetic interaction and atomic transitions.

Unit 2

Quantum Computational Architecture, General conditions for quantum computational architecture, Noisy Intermediate scalable quantum (NISQ) architectures, three basic components: State preparation, unitary gates and measurements.

Unit 3

Photonic quantum computer, state preparation, unitary gates implementation and measurement, drawbacks. Cavity QED, state preparation, unitary gates implementation and measurement, drawbacks.

Unit 4

Ion-traps, state preparation, unitary gates implementation and measurement, drawbacks.

Unit 5

Superconducting qubits, state preparation, unitary gates implementation and measurement, drawbacks. Noise and noise mitigation techniques.

Course Description

This course introduces the fundamental principles of quantum technologies, focusing on various quantum computing platforms, including NISQ devices, photonic systems, ion traps, and superconducting qubits. Students will learn about state preparation, unitary gates, measurements, and noise mitigation techniques, with practical insights into the challenges of each platform.

Course Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, students shall be able to

1. Apply basic principles of quantum mechanics to calculate energy levels, dynamics, tunnelling and transitions in simple quantum systems, including two-level models with their interaction with light, electron spin, and photon polarization.
2. Identify and explain the key physical aspects of NISQ devices, including qubit state preparation, coherence, noise, gate fidelity, and measurements, and perform related basic calculations.
3. Identify and describe the key components of photonic quantum computers, including qubit and gate construction, measurement implementation, and challenges, and justify some aspects of the implementation, such as cavity QED, with supporting calculations.
4. Understand and explain the key components of ion-trap quantum computers, including qubit and gate construction, measurement implementation, and challenges, with some supporting calculations.
5. Identify and describe the key components of superconducting quantum computers, including qubit and gate construction, measurement implementation, noise mitigation techniques, and challenges, with supporting calculations.

Textbooks

1. G. Chen, D.A. Church, B-G Englert, C. Henkel, B. Rohwedder, M.O. Scully, and M.S. Zubairy, Quantum Computing Devices: Principles, Designs and Analysis, Chapman & Hall/CRC (2006)
2. A.M. Zagoskin, Quantum Engineering: Theory and Design of Quantum Coherent Structures, Cambridge University Press (2011)

References

1. Ray LaPierre, Introduction to Quantum Computing, Springer (2021)
2. Ray LaPierre, Getting Started with Quantum Optics, Springer (2022)
3. Michel Le Bellac, A short introduction to quantum information and quantum computation, Cambridge University Press (2006)
4. Stefano Olivares, Lecture Notes on Quantum Computing, v5, Milan, Italy, 2021
5. Alto Osada, Rekishu Yamazaki, and Atsushi Noguchi, Introduction to Quantum Technologies, Springer (2022)
6. J.A. Jones and D. Jaksch, Quantum Information, Computation and Communication, CUP (2012)
7. Joachim Stoltze, Dieter Suter, Quantum Computing: A Short Course from Theory to Experiment, 2^nd Ed, Wiley-VCH (2008)
8. Chuck Easttom, Hardware for Quantum Computing, Springer (2024)
9. Girvin S M, Circuit QED: Superconducting Qubits Coupled to Microwave Photons, Oxford University Press (2014)
10. C. Macchiavello, G. M. Palma, A. Zeilinger, Quantum Computation and Quantum Information Theory, World Scientific (2001). Contains selected foundational research articles and references to many more.
11. Razeghi M, Technology of Quantum Devices, Springer (2010)