Quantum Processes and Computation

NWI-IMC055, Spring 2019

This page contains specific information about the Spring 2019 course and lectures (for general information, see studiegids). All relevant course information will be provided here (and not in Brightspace).

The QPC practical sheet is now online. You can download it here: QPC practical.

The QPC mid-term is now online. You can download it here: QPC mid-term.

For exercises, see the: exercise page.

Prerequisites consist of linear algebra and some basic familiarity with definition/lemma/theorem-style mathematical reasoning.

Course material consists of:

• Slides for some lectures (see below)
• Lecture notes (available on Brightspace)
• Textbook: Picturing Quantum Processes: A First Course in Quantum Theory and Diagrammatic Reasoning

The textbook is available in the science library (but possibly only 1 copy!), and students may purchase it if they wish. The lecture notes contain the same material, and in cases where there are discrepancies (e.g. with exercise numbering), I will try to stick to the lecture note version.

Lectures will be given by Aleks Kissinger and John van de Wetering in English. All course materials will be in English.

• Lectures will be on Wednesdays 15:30-17:15 in HG01.028.
• First lecture: January 30
• Last lecture: June 5
• The will be NO LECTURES on March 20, March 27, April 3, and May 1.
• Werkcollege's take place on Thursdays 15:30-17:15, from January 31 until June 6. They are in a different room each week, so please check the schedule. In weeks with no lecture, there will also be no werkcollege. There are also NO WERKCOLLEGE'S on April 18 and May 30.
• There is a Practicum on May 27 in HG00.206.

Lectures (topics subject to change)

• Lecture 1, Jan 30: Introduction to diagrammatic reasoning (chapter 1 and sections 3.1, 3.2)
• Lecture 2, Feb 6: Separability vs. non-separability (sections 3.3, 3.4, 4.1, 4.2)
• Lecture 3, Feb 13: Quantum-like features from string diagrams (sections 4.3, 4.4)
• Lecture 4, Feb 20: Hilbert spaces (sections 5.1, 5.2, 5.3)
• Lecture 5, Feb 27: Pure quantum processes (section 6.1)
• Lecture 6, Mar 6: Discarding, causality, and purification (sections 6.2, 6.3)
• Lecture 7, Mar 13: Quantum measurements (sections 6.4, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1)
• Mid-semester break
• Lecture 8, Apr 10: Classical/quantum interaction (sections 8.2, 8.3, 9.1)
• Lecture 9, Apr 17: Phases and complementarity (sections 9.1, 9.2)
• Lecture 10, Apr 24: QKD, strong complementarity and ZX-diagrams (sections 9.2, 9.3)
• Lecture 11, May 8: The ZX-calculus (section 9.4)
• Lecture 12, May 15: Quantum algorithms 1 (sections 9.4, 12.1, 12.2.1, 12.2.2)
• Lecture 13, May 22: Quantum algorithms 2 (sections 12.2.3, 12.2.4)
• Lecture 14, May 29: Foundations of quantum theory
• Lecture 15, Jun 5: Quantum non-locality and beyond. Slides.

Grading and Administration

• Lectures, werkcollege's and homework are not mandatory. However, homework (H) assignments will be graded weekly and will provide up to 1 bonus point on the final grade.
• There will be a larger take-home coursework (C) due after the mid-semester break. This assignment is mandatory, and must be done individually (not in groups). It will constitute 20% of your final grade.
• There will be a lab session (L) using the tool Quantomatic in the 4th quarter. Participation and write-up will constitute 10% of your grade.
• The remaining 70% of your final grade will be from a written exam (E), taking place after the end of the course.
• In summary, final grades are calculated as:

  F = 0.7 * E + 0.2 * C + 0.1 * L + 0.1 * H

  To pass, E must be at least 5 and F must be at least 6.