Physics 581.001 Quantum Information Theory Spring 2009

Phys 581.001	Quantum Information Theory Spring 2009
	Call No. 29426 (register for 3 credit hours)
	This course will cover a variety of topics in quantum information theory. The goal of the course is to master some of mathematical techniques of and to convey some of the chief results of quantum information theory. The topics to be covered are classical information, the Hilbert-space formulation of quantum mechanics, quantum states, quantum dynamics and measurements, quantum information, quantum entanglement, and quantum estimation theory. This is the first semester of a two-semester sequence. The second semester will focus on quantum computation, covering models of quantum computation, quantum algorithms, quantum error correction, and physical implementations of quantum computation. The course syllabus details the topics to be covered and provides a complete schedule for the course. It is also your gateway to the web-based material: lecture notes, special handouts, homework assignments, and solution sets, which are available as pdf files linked to the syllabus. The course assumes that you have a good background in linear algebra and some familiarity with the Hilbert-space formulation of quantum mechanics, including the description of quantum states as vectors in Hilbert space, observables as Hermitian operators, and time evolutions as unitary operators. The course is structured so that you could come up to speed on these things as the course progresses, but that would involve a bit of scrambling to keep up. It will certainly be to your advantage if you have some familiarity with Dirac's bra-ket notation for manipulating the linear-algebraic mathematical objects of quantum mechanics and you are familiar with the Pauli-matrix algebra for two-state quantum systems (qubits) and with the associated Bloch-sphere description of qubit quantum states. The course will be taught on two tracks, a graded track and an ungraded (credit/no-credit) track. There will not be any exams. Those registering for a letter grade will be expected to do the homework assignments and at least to think about understanding the special topics that will occupy the course in April and May. All students are welcome and encouraged to register for a grade. Students intending to do a PhD dissertation on quantum information are required to be on the graded track. (You should be familiar with the University deadlines for changing grading options.) Students who prefer the ungraded track should register for the CR/NC grading option. To receive a grade of CR, students need only to attend the lectures and show interest.
	Basic information
Instructor	Professor Carlton M. Caves Office: P&A 28 Phone: 277-8674 E-mail: caves@info.phys.unm.edu
Lectures	TTh 5:00-7:00 pm P&A 5
Office hours	Come see me. The semester is shaping up as one where I can work at home in the morning, ride my bike to stay in shape just before lunch, and then be at the office after lunch.
Textbook	Quantum Computation and Quantum Information by M. A. Nielsen and I. L. Chuang
Supplementary textbook	Quantum Information and Computation by J. Preskill Available as postscript files at above link
Grader	Vaibhav Madhok Office: P&A 30 Phone: 277-9153 E-mail: vmadhok@unm.edu
	I will be in Australia (mainly in Brisbane) from March 27 to April 29, returning to New Mexico on the weekend of May 2. To compensate for this absence, the course will be taught at 3/2 the pace for 2/3 of the semester. That's why the lectures are two hours long, instead of 80 minutes. During my absence, those students who want to and I will work on understanding a couple of special topics.