Time Schedule:
Boris B. Blinov
PHYS 427
Seattle Campus
Current applications of physics to problems in the sciences and technology.
Class description
The Quantum Computation and Quantum Cryptography course will focus on the principles and ideas of the new paradigm for storing and manipulating information using quantum mechanical systems. Both the quantum computation and the quantum cryptography are important for national security. The former can be employed to time-efficiently break commonly used Internet public-key encryption methods, such as the RSA code. The latter is a whole new method of creating an ultimately secure key that can be used to encode important messages. The goal of this course is to create a broad base of knowledge which the students can use in the future to tackle real life problems. Quantum cryptography is a reality today, and quantum computers may well be a reality of tomorrow. The course will consist of a brief review of the relevant topics of quantum mechanics and information theory, followed by the description of qubits (quantum bits) and entanglement, the building blocks of a quantum computer. The Shor's factoring algorithm and the Grover search algorithms will be introduced. Physical implementations of qubits will also be described. Next, the principles of quantum communication and quantum cryptography will be outlined. The state of the art experiments, as well as commercially available quantum cryptography systems will be described.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Lectures
Recommended preparation
PHYS 225, PHYS 324 or 315, MATH 308
Class assignments and grading
Regular homework problems.
The evaluation will be based on weekly homeworks and a final project.
