Instructors: Wolfgang Tittel and Lieven Vandersypen
Description: Quantum hardware is what turns the novel concepts of quantum computation and communication into reality. The key challenge is to initialize, control, couple, transmit and read out the fragile stage of quantum systems with great precision and in a technologically viable way. While Quantum Hardware I is focused on teaching underpinning theoretical tools, Quantum Hardware II will give you an overview of the experimental state-of-the-art. You will learn about the most promising approaches for realizing quantum hardware, and critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. You will also get insight in the conceptual similarities and differences between the various technologies. Specifically, the course will cover general concepts and considerations of qubit hardware, trapped ions, superconducting circuits, quantum dots, impurities, cold atoms, photonic circuits, single-photon sources, single-photon detectors and quantum repeaters.
Study Goals: To acquire a good understanding of the requirements of quantum hardware for computing, communication sensing, both at the conceptual level and at the practical level.
-To acquire conceptual insight in the operation, opportunities, and challenges of various qubit realizations.
- To obtain a good overview of the state-of-the-art.
Format: In this course, lectures are combined with homework assignments as well as presentations of recent research papers that are to be studied at home.
Study Material: Materials Reviews and research papers to be studied at home, material presented during lectures.
Assessment : Grades will be established based on homework assignments (40%), paper presentations (25%), and a final oral exam (35%). The lowest homework grade does not count. This means you can miss one homework without having points deducted. Two missed homework's will affect your grade, regardless of why you missed them. In unusual cases, a retake exam--which will also be oral--will be offered by appointment.