Course syllabus

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FKA173 Quantum optics and quantum informatics lp1 HT19 (7.5 hp)

Course is offered by the department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience

Contact details

Thilo Bauch

role: course examiner, teacher

email: thilo.bauch@chalmers.se

phone: 031-7723397

room: D419, MC2

 

Giulia Ferrini

role: teacher

email: ferrini@chalmers.se

phone: 031-7726417

room: C520, MC2

 

Witlef Wieczorek

role: teacher

email: witlef.wieczorek@chalmers.se

phone: 031-7726772

room: A415, MC2

 

Marco Scigliuzzo

role: teaching assistant, lab supervisor

email: scmarco@chalmers.se

room: A714, MC2

 

Ananthu Pullukattuthara Surendran

role: teaching assistant

email: ananthu@chalmers.se

room: D422, MC2

    Course purpose

    The course gives an introduction on how one can manipulate and detect quantum mechanical (two-level) systems such as single atoms and photons, and how one can use them as quantum mechanical two level systems - quantum bits - for quantum information processing.

    We study how matter interacts with an electromagnetic field at the quantum level (atoms and photons) and how one can perform experiments, which demonstrate the “strange” properties of quantum mechanics, e.g. teleportation. In such experiments one can use “ordinary" atoms or ions sitting in a trap, or artificial atoms: superconducting microelectronic circuits with quantum mechanical properties similar to atoms. These artificial atoms interact with optical photons, e.g. from a laser, or with microwave photons in a waveguide on a micro chip.

    The course gives an overview on this very active field of research and connects to ongoing research on quantum mechanical superconducting circuits and microwave photons.

    Such a quantum technology enables to build quantum computers and quantum communication systems. This allows to perform certain computations and simulations by using quantum algorithms that are faster than the corresponding classical algorithms. We will discuss some of them in the course. Moreover, one can implement quantum cryptography and communication over absolute safe channels.

    Course content

    What is circuit quantum electrodynamics? 

    Building blocks of quantum mechanics and quantum optics:
    - two-level systems (qubits) and the Bloch sphere;
    Quantizing an electronic circuit.
    Interactions between light and matter:
    - photons: classical and non-classical states of radiation;
    - atom-field interaction: Rabi-oscillations and the Jaynes-Cummings hamiltonian;
    - quantum decoherence;
    - read-out of quantum information.
    Quantum information science: 
    - quantum algorithms: universal gate sets, Deutsch-Josza's, and Grover's algorithms;
    - quantum communication; teleportation and quantum cryptography.

    Schedule

    TimeEdit

    Course literature

    • Lecture Notes

    The following literature is good but not strictly necessary to acquire:

    • On Quantum Optics: "Introductory Quantum Optics", by Christopher Gerry and Peter Knight, Cambridge University Press, ISBN-10: 052152735X.
    • On Quantum Algorithms: "Quantum Computation and Quantum Information", Michael A. Nielsen and Isaac L. Chuang, Cambridge University Press (2000), ISBN 0 521 63503 9.

    Both the books are also available at Chalmers library as ebooks.

    Course design

    Lectures, exercises, exercise sessions, home work, and a state-of-the art experiment with report writing

    Lectures are on Mondays and Thursdays (and Friday of the first course week).

    Exercise questions are handed out on Thursdays. Please prepare solutions to the questions until the exercise session on the Friday the week after (7 days to prepare exercise questions). During the exercise sessions on Fridays you will discuss the solutions in smaller groups. In total you will have 5 exercise sessions.

    Hand-ins (home work) are handed out on Thursdays. The deadline for the hand-ins are on Wednesday 2 weeks thereafter (13 days to solve hand-in). In total you will have to solve 5 hand-ins.

    The lab session will take place during week 41. After the lab you will have to prepare a lab report.

      Changes made since the last occasion

      A summary of changes made since the last occasion.

      Learning objectives and syllabus

      Learning objectives:

      After the course the student should be able to
      - explain the properties of the Jaynes-Cummings model;
      - use the Bloch equations to describe the dissipative dynamics of a quantum mechanical two-level system;
      - understand the difference between classical and non-classical radiation;
      - derive the Hamiltonian of an electronic circuit;
      - analyze the properties of simple quantum algorithms and understand their difference with respect to the corresponding classical algorithms in terms of time complexity;
      - compute the output state of simple quantum circuits composed of elementary single-qubit operations, entangling gates and measurements;
      - explain and experimentally perform manipulations and measurements of the state of a superconducting qubit

      Link to the syllabus on Studieportalen.

      Study plan

       

      Examination form

      You need to obtain at least 40% of the points on the exam and do the lab (including lab report), to pass the course. The grade will then be based on: written Exam (50%), Hand-Ins (35%) and, lab report (15%). The hand-ins will be handed out on Thursdays and should be handed in on Wednesdays two weeks after (after 13 days) and will be corrected until the next exercise. The date of the written exam is Tuesday, October 29, 2018. The exam will be closed-book. Necessary formulas will be given on the exam sheet.
      Don't forget to register for the exam! (both students and PhD students). Without registration you won't be able to sit the exam.

       

      Course summary:

      Date Details Due