Introduction to Quantum Information Processing
QIC 710, CS 768, C&O 681, PHYS 767, AM 871 Fall 2014

Instructor: Richard Cleve
Email: cleve@cs.uwaterloo.ca (students: please include “QIC710” in subject, regardless of the version you’re in)
Office hours: after class or by appointment
Course web site: http://cleve.iqc.uwaterloo.ca/qic710.html
TAs:
Li Liu (l147liu@uwaterloo.ca)
office hours: Wednesdays 2:00-3:00pm, QNC 4101 (or by appointment)
Anirudh Krishna (a32krish@uwaterloo.ca)
office hours: Mondays 2:00-3:00pm, QNC 4321 (or by appointment)

Lectures: Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:30-3:50pm, in QNC 0101 (starting September 9)

Announcements
• Assignment 1 is now posted (due September 25).

Objectives
The objective of this course is to introduce the mathematical theory of quantum information processing (a.k.a. quantum computing) at the graduate level. Topics include: basic quantum algorithms (including Shor’s factoring algorithm and Grover’s search algorithm), complexity theory, density matrices and quantum operations on them, distance measures between quantum states, entropy and noiseless coding, error-correcting codes and fault-tolerance, non-locality, and cryptography.
• Additional details [html]
• Syllabus [pdf]

Assignments (5 assignments, worth 12% each)
• Assignment 1 [pdf] (due September 25, in class)

Lecture notes

• Lectures 1-3 [ppt,pdf] Introduction to the quantum information framework, quantum states, unitary operations measurements, quantum circuits, superdense coding, teleportation, no-cloning theorem, simulations between classical and quantum circuits, complexity classes.
• Lectures 4-6 [ppt,pdf] query scenario, Deutsch’s problem, one-out-of-four search, constant-vs-balanced problem, Simon’s problem (beginning).

• Projects (worth 40% of grade)

Each project consists of a written component and an oral presentation to the class. It should explain and analyze some topic in quantum information processing, selected with the approval of the instructor. Your presentation should be about 30 minutes in length and your written component is not required to be of any particular length, but around 10 pages would be typical. You should explain the topic in your own words, at a level accessible to your classmates.

Here is a preliminary list of project topics to choose from [pdf]. This will be updated in the next few days. You are also be welcome to pursue a project topic that is not on the list.