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Quantum Computing

Computing based on the physics of quantum mechanics was first proposed by Richard Feynman in 1982. In the ensuing forty years, much progress has been made and new developments and growth in the field have been increasing exponentially.

Once available, error-tolerant quantum computers of sufficient size will open up a new realm of computation completely with capabilities far beyond those of digital computers. Secure internet transactions will be impacted by the ability to factorize arbitrarily large numbers, but much more importantly will be the capability of simulating complex systems such as large molecules and novel materials. This will revolutionize pharmaceuticals and material science in ways that can’t be fully imagined.

In the sessions on quantum computing, we will discuss the physics of qubits, the simplest quantum system. We’ll see how quantum algorithms can be implemented by composing quantum circuits consisting of quantum gates that act on systems of multiple qubits. You will get hands-on experience in using the IBM Qiskit framework to build circuits and will run them on actual quantum computers. Along the way, you will learn about the fundamentals of quantum mechanics and the very remarkable and non-intuitive phenomena of quantum entanglement.

Paradoxically, qubits exhibit both the simplest and deepest aspects of quantum mechanics and besides their practical use in quantum computation, they provide an excellent way of exploring the basic concepts of quantum mechanics, the most important theory in physics and that is usually not covered in the high school curriculum.

Topics that we will cover include:

  • The difference between classical and quantum states
  • The physics of qubits
  • Quantum entanglement
  • Interpretation of quantum mechanics
  • Quantum gates and quantum circuits
  • The foundational quantum algorithms: Deutsch, Simon’s, and Shor’s
  • Superconducting qubits
  • Near- and long-term prospects of quantum computing