Basic model of quantum computation (reversible computing, qubits, unitary transformations, measurements, quantum protocols, quantum circuits); quantum algorithms (simple query algorithms, the quantum Fourier transform, Shor's factoring algorithm, Grover's search algorithm and its optimality); quantum complexity theory; mixed quantum states and quantum operations; quantum information theory (entropy, compression, entanglement transformations, quantum channel capacities); quantum error correction and fault tolerance; quantum nonlocality; quantum cryptography (key distribution and bit commitment); selected additional topics as time permits.
See the detailed schedule (which may evolve as the semester progresses) for more on the course content, including recommended readings.
Lectures will be held in person and will be recorded for later viewing (on a best-effort basis), with videos posted on the Panopto section of Canvas. We will reevaluate this format as the semester progresses and may make adjustments in response to evolving conditions and university guidelines.
| Office hours | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doruk Gur | dgur1@umd.edu | Wednesday, 11 am–noon, IRB 5111 and on Zoom (link on Canvas) |
| Nishant Rodrigues | ngrodrig@umd.edu | Monday, 2–3 pm, ATL 3100D Friday, 10–11 am on Zoom (link on Canvas) |
| Assignments | 40% |
| Project | 25% |
| Final exam | 35% |
Your lowest assignment grade will be dropped. If you are unable to complete an assignment by its deadline due to an excused absence (as per the UMD graduate course policies), the remaining assignments will be reweighted.
There will be five homework assignments during the course. Assignments will be made available on Canvas and should be submitted using Gradescope. Please check that you are able to upload solutions by making a test submission well in advance of the first assignment deadline. Please submit completed assignments as PDF files, either as a typeset document or a clear scan of handwritten solutions, by the deadline stated on the assignment. Gradescope will not accept submissions after the deadline, and late assignments will not be accepted under any circumstances so that solutions can be made avilable promptly (on Canvas). You can replace a submission as many times as you like before the deadline (only the final submission will be graded).
Your answers to the assignment problems should be written neatly and concisely, and you should always aim to present the simplest possible solution. Your assignment grades will be based on both correctness and clarity. Graded assignments will be available on Gradescope. If you think a problem has been graded incorrectly, you may submit a regrade request on Gradescope. Regrade requests must be submitted within three business days after an assignment is returned and should include a detailed justification.
You are encouraged to discuss homework problems with your peers, with the TAs, and with the course instructor. However, your solutions should be based on your own understanding and should be written independently. You should not read solutions for the same or similar problems to the ones you are assigned until after your assignment has been submitted.
As a course project, you will write an expository paper on a topic of your choice from the quantum information literature. You should submit a project proposal by Wednesday, October 12; a project progress report by Wednesday, November 9; and your completed paper by Wednesday, December 7. Submissions should be made on Gradescope. Further details, including a partial list of possible project topics, will be made available on the project page.
The course will include a comprehensive, take-home final exam. The exam will be made available on Canvas by 7 am on Wednesday, December 14, and will be due on Gradescope by 11:59 pm the same day. You may choose to take the exam during any two-hour period during that time.
We will follow the standard University of Maryland graduate course policies. You should be familiar with them.
Any student eligible for and requesting reasonable academic accommodations due to a disability is asked to provide an electronic letter of accommodation from the Accessibility and Disability Service office within the first two weeks of the semester. Please meet with the instructor to discuss any issues related to the implementation of your accommodations.
If you plan to observe any holidays during the semester that are not listed on the university calendar, please provide a list of these dates by the end of the first two weeks of the semester.