Introduction
to Quantum Information Processing
Fall 2004
C&O 681 CS 667 PHYS 767 C&O 481 CS 467 PHYS 667
Michele Mosca mmosca@iqc.ca
Richard Cleve cleve@iqc.ca
Raymond Laflamme laflamme@iqc.ca
Teaching Assistants
Donny Cheung dccheung@iqc.ca
Carlos Perez caperezd@iqc.ca
Quantum Information Processing (QIP) seeks to exploit the quantum
features of Nature to provide a qualitatively different and more powerful way
of processing information than "classical" physics seems to allow.
This course aims to give a basic foundation in the field of quantum information
processing (often just called "quantum computing"). QIP is a
multidisciplinary subject and therefore this course will introduce fundamental
concepts in theoretical computer science and physics that will enable students
to pursue further study in various aspects of QIP.
This course is intended for students majoring in CS,
C&O or Physics, and is normally completed in a student's fourth
year. It is intended to be accessible to students with either a CS/Math or
Physics background with an interest in the physical and mathematical
foundations of computation and/or the role of information in physics.
A solid background in basic linear algebra (a strong
performance in MATH235 or Phys364&365 should suffice) is necessary.
Students will likely encounter at least one subject with which they have very
little familiarity; this is expected. Familiarity with theoretical computer
science or quantum mechanics will be an asset, though most students will not be
familiar with both. The required background in both these areas will be
presented in the course.
Quantum Computation and Quantum Information, by
Nielsen and Chuang (
3 hours of lectures per week.
General Introduction (3 hr)
Physics and information. Quantum
superposition and interference. Quantum Bits, Gates
and Registers.
Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (6 hrs)
Postulates of Quantum
Mechanics. Density matrices. Bloch
Sphere. Entanglement. Non-locality.
Quantum teleportation.
Introduction to Computation and Computational
Complexity (6 hrs)
Church-Turing thesis. Quantum
Circuits. Universality. Basic
complexity classes. NP-completeness.
Quantum Algorithms (9 hrs)
Basic algorithms. Quantum Fourier Transform.
Phase estimation. Integer Factorization. Quantum searching.
Quantum Error Correction (3 hrs)
Quantum error-correcting
codes.
Physical Realizations (3 hrs)
Implementations of quantum
information processors. Examples of actual or proposed
implementations.
Other Topics (6 hrs)
The course will cover additional topics of interest,
including topics such as quantum communication complexity, quantum
cryptography, and simulation of
quantum systems.
3 assignments (15% each)
1 mid-term exam (20%)
1 project (35%)
(Undergraduate and graduates will be graded differently.)