The aim of this course is to introduce basic ideas of quantum computation and quantum information. The processing information requires a physical device capable of performing the corresponding operations. If individual objects of atomic dimensions are used for information processing, the laws of quantum mechanics must be taken into account in the description of the behaviour of these information carries. Consequently one is forced to rethink the fundamentals of computation, communication, and cryptography. Perhaps surprisingly, this altered perspective does not simply impose quantum restrictions on the processing of information but does also open up new, classically unexpected, enhanced capabilities.
The course will introduce the mathematical language and physical postulates of quantum theory, with a focus on systems described by finite-dimensional complex Hilbert spaces. Core aspects of quantum information theory such as the no-cloning theorem, teleportation, and basic quantum algorithms will be presented. The notion of performing computations with quantum objects will be made explicit using quantum circuits.
Entanglement is an important feature of quantum systems that has been found to be crucial for a quantum speed-up of computation. We will explain the quantum mechanical description of compound systems and give a precise characterisation of entanglement. Fundamental implications of entanglement, especially quantum nonlocality, will be illustrated in terms of the famous Bell inequality.
Familiarity with linear algebra, vector spaces over \Bbb C, linear operators and matrices.