3 credits
Spring 2026 Lecture Upper Division
An introduction to the physics of quantum information science. Starting with the concepts of quantum superposition, it defines and describes qubits (quantum bits) and their manipulation by quantum logic gates. The topics of quantum entanglement and the EPR paradox are introduced, and their importance for quantum teleportation, communication, and quantum cryptography are covered. Quantum computing is described in terms of quantum circuits of logic gates, and also in terms of quantum algorithms, such as Deutsch's algorithm, the quantum Fourier transform, Shor's prime factoring algorithm, and Grover's search algorithm. The final topic is quantum decoherence and the limits it places on practical implementations of quantum computing.
Learning Outcomes1Understand the meaning of entanglement and how it distinguishes quantum from classical science.
2Understand how the rules of quantum measurement are fundamental to quantum cryptography and quantum computing.
3See how the basics of quantum science enable quantum computing to solve important problems otherwise inaccessible to classical computing.
Prerequisites
Restrictions
made by Purdue students.