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
- Nielsen & Chuang, Quantum Computation and Quantum Information, (Cambridge U Press, 2010) Chapters 2.1 and 2.2
- M. Sato and Y. Ando, Topological superconductors: a review, Rep. Prog. Phys. 80, 076501 (2017).
- Harald Ibach and Hans Lüth, Solid State Physics (Springer, 2010) – Chps. 7 and 10. (accessible via RWTH network or VPN)
- Fuxiang Han, A Modern Course in Quantum Theory of Solids (World Scientific, 2013) – Chps. 4.1 and 9. (accessible via RWTH network or VPN)
Additional readings
- Nielsen & Chuang, Quantum Computation and Quantum Information, Chapter 1
- C J Pethick, H Smith, Bose-Einstein condensation in Dilute Gases (Cambridge U Press)
- Hendrik Bluhm, Thomas Brückel, Markus Morgenstern, Gero Plessen, and Christoph Stampfer, E Electrons in Solids: Mesoscopics, Photonics, Quantum Computing, Correlations, Topology (Chapter 3) (De Gruyter, 2019)
- Devitt et al, Quantum Error Correction for Beginners (Rep. Prog. Phys. 76, 076001 (2013)):