Platforms for Quantum Technologies

Platforms for Quantum Technologies

Date: March 3 to 23, 2022 (preliminary schedule can be found below)

Location: The course will be offered as an online course with some on-site parts.

Exam: March 31, 2022 (preliminary date, format TBA)

Lecturers: Y. Ando (UoC), H. Bluhm (RWTH), M. Müller (FZJ), J. Schmitt (U Bonn).

Prerequisite: completed Quantum Mechanics Course (for details see below)

Registration:  The registration deadline was on January 31, 2022.

 

Contents of the course

  • Basics of quantum information processing: qubits, quantum operations, measurements, circuit model, quantum teleportation, quantum algorithms (Deutsch, Grover, Shor), quantum communication and cryptography​
  • AMO (atomic, molecular, optical) platforms: cavity quantum electrodynamics: single photon sources, implementation of phase gates; quantum simulators: gases of cold atoms, optical lattices, ground state and excitation dynamics
  • Solid state platforms: charge and electron spin qubits; superconducting qubits; qubit dynamics and control; decoherence; quantum supremacy
  • Topological platforms: topological insulators and superconductors; braiding; Majorana qubit design; topological surface code
  • Quantum error correction and topological codes: few-qubit error correcting codes, fault-tolerance, topological surface code and logical qubits

Aims of the course

Recently, elusive concepts of quantum mechanics such as superposition and entanglement – which have long been regarded as curiosities of quantum mechanics with no practical purposes – have become the key elements of several technological applications. These fledgling quantum technologies define a new field of physics and engineering, and may  be roughly structured into quantum communication, quantum sensing, quantum simulations, and, last but not least, quantum computing. This lecture will give an overview of the most promising platforms and first applications, following up on a crisp introduction to the basic theoretical concepts needed for their understanding. The course is organized in the framework of the Cluster of Excellence Matter and Light for Quantum Computing (ML4Q). It is aimed at Master students in Physics with a knowledge in quantum mechanics and basic knowledge of condensed matter physics.

Preliminary Schedule

Course prerequisites and required pre-readings

Students who would like to participate in our course should be familiar with the following topics:

  • Quantum mechanics (a must)
  • Statistical Mechanics
  • Basic concepts and mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics (quantum states, evolution, measurements)
  • Basic concepts (light-matter interaction) from quantum optics and laser physics
  • Condensed-matter / solid-state physics
  • Many-body physics
  • Superconductivity
  • The second-quantisation formalism of the BCS theory

The overview of these topics can be found in the pre-readings listed below. We strongly recommend to read them before the course.

Required pre-readings

Additional readings