Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS March Meeting 2021
Volume 66, Number 1
Monday–Friday, March 15–19, 2021; Virtual; Time Zone: Central Daylight Time, USA
Session A29: Quantum Information EducationEducation Focus Live Outreach Undergrad Friendly
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Sponsoring Units: DQI FED Chair: Ben Zwickl, Rochester Institute of Technology |
Monday, March 15, 2021 8:00AM - 8:36AM Live |
A29.00001: Creating an Introductory-Level Interdiscplinary Course in Quantum Information Invited Speaker: Graeme Smith I will discuss the creation of an introductory, interdisciplinary course in quantum information at the University of Colorado Boulder. This course attracts students from physics, math, CS, and EE majors, and as a prerequisite requires nothing but a bit of linear algebra. |
Monday, March 15, 2021 8:36AM - 9:12AM Live |
A29.00002: Redesigning quantum information science education and training: The Chicago Quantum Exchange approach Invited Speaker: Kate Timmerman The rapidly evolving field of quantum information science has the power to transform cybersecurity, materials development, computing, and other areas of research and innovation. Developing a robust pipeline of quantum experts is integral to advancing and scaling these technologies within universities, national research laboratories and centers, and companies large and small. The Chicago Quantum Exchange and its members have developed a growing a suite of scalable quantum education and training programs that address a range of needs in the field. Learning objectives in these programs span fundamental quantum mechanics, emerging science and engineering technologies, and potential applications aimed at ensuring that the future workforce has the skills needed by a broad employer base. Programs are also being built to address a range of dynamic technical, ethical, and societal forces. These programs tackle challenges for careers that span multiple fields and are still emerging, including those that do not exist today; provide upskilling opportunities for the current workforce; connect trainees with future employers; and aim to guarantee that the future quantum workforce is diverse and inclusive. This presentation will provide an overview of the above programs and early stage outcomes. |
Monday, March 15, 2021 9:12AM - 9:24AM Live |
A29.00003: Numerical simulation of NMR/NQR experiments for the demonstration of quantum computing principles Davide Candoli, Samuele Sanna, Vesna Mitrovic The precision of solid-state nuclear magnetic/quadrupole resonance (NMR/NQR) in the manipulation of nuclear spins makes these techniques a natural means for the investigation of the principles of quantum computation. Following this idea, we have developed a software which simulates pulsed NMR/NQR experiments by employing both linearly and circularly polarized radiofrequency pulses and reproduces their results as are observed in laboratory. The purpose was twofold: first, the program allows to design pulse sequences which implement quantum gates and algorithms acting on spins’ states; on the other hand, the study of NMR/NQR spectra resulting from the implemented algorithms turns useful for the experimental identification of quantum correlations in real systems probed in laboratories. The details of the simulations and the code as well as the representative results will be presented. |
Monday, March 15, 2021 9:24AM - 9:36AM Live |
A29.00004: Emulating a Quantum Computer with an FPGA Jackson Davis, Charles Collett While building real quantum computers still proves to be a difficult task, work has been done to design quantum computer emulators on classical computers. Numerous methods have been implemented to escape the exponential growth of time and resources required for emulation of a quantum system. Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are often used to shift the exponential growth from time to hardware, as they allow for the creation of circuits that evaluate quantum gate operations in parallel rather than sequentially. Adapting a design from a recent paper [1], we have implemented a Verilog module, running on a Basys3 FPGA board, that can emulate 2 qubits with full generality or 3 qubits with the restriction that all gates and input states be purely real. This allows for constant-time emulation, with the only exponential growth coming during one-time synthesis of the maximum size module that fits on a given board. This simple emulator can be a valuable low-cost teaching tool for students wishing to experiment with small quantum circuits and elucidate the inner functionality of a quantum computer. |
Monday, March 15, 2021 9:36AM - 9:48AM Live |
A29.00005: An educational program to teach quantum information science to high-school students Edwin Barnes, Sophia Economou, Terry Rudolph We present a simple, accessible, yet rigorous outreach/educational program focused on quantum information science and technology for high-school and early undergraduate students. This program allows students to perform meaningful hands-on calculations with quantum circuits and algorithms, without requiring knowledge of advanced mathematics. A combination of pen-and-paper exercises and IBM Quantum Experience simulations helps students understand the structure of quantum gates and circuits, as well as the principles of superposition, entanglement, and measurement in quantum mechanics. We also present a simple game that illustrates the advantages of quantum algorithms. |
Monday, March 15, 2021 9:48AM - 10:00AM Live |
A29.00006: Introducing Quantum Information with the Quadratic Equation Carl Brannen From Pauli's exclusion principle, a given state can be occupied by either zero or one fermion or n2 = n, a quadratic equation with solutions of 0 and 1. Pure density matrices satisfy the same equation. This implies a method of teaching quantum mechanics appropriate for early college students: generalize the quadratic equation to symmetry groups. This allows students to understand elements of quantum mechanics without the complications of partial differential equations, and it also suggests a new method of understanding the Standard Model. |
Monday, March 15, 2021 10:00AM - 10:12AM Live |
A29.00007: Coherent control of NV− centers in diamond in a quantum teaching lab Yang Yang, Vikas Sewani, Jarryd Pla, Arne Laucht The room temperature compatibility of the negatively-charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV−) in diamond makes it the ideal quantum system for a university teaching lab. Here, we describe a low-cost experimental setup for coherent control experiments on the electronic spin state of the NV− center. We implement spin-relaxation measurements, optically-detected magnetic resonance, Rabi oscillations, and dynamical decoupling sequences on an ensemble of NV− centers. Hyperfine interactions can also be observed clearly in the measurement. The relatively short time required to perform each of these experiments (<10 minutes) demonstrates the feasibility of the setup in a teaching lab. Learning outcomes include a basic understanding of quantum spin systems, magnetic resonance, the rotating frame, Bloch spheres, and pulse sequence development |
Monday, March 15, 2021 10:12AM - 10:24AM Live |
A29.00008: Geometric Visualizations of Single and Entangled Qubits Henry Chang, Shea Roccaforte, Rose Xu, Paul Cadden-Zimansky The one-to-one correspondence of single qubit states to points on a Bloch sphere provides a useful visualization for understanding some fundamental concepts of quantum information processing. However, the exponentially increasing dimensionality of state representations as the number of qubits in a system increases precludes similar one-to-one mappings of two-qubit and higher systems, hindering visualizations of even the simplest quantum algorithms. Taking a cue from visualizations of special relativity, where Minkowski diagrams in reduced-dimensional subspaces of 2 or 3 dimensions provide useful pedagogical and conceptual tools for understanding basic concepts, we discuss how taking a subspace of the full two-qubit space allows for the construction of one-to-one maps that visualize this subspace in 2 and 3 dimensions. These maps have physically meaningful lengths and angles, a non-trivial topology reflecting the full state space, and allow visualizations of such concepts as entanglement and separability not possible with the single-qubit Bloch sphere. Interactive, online versions of these maps have been developed to aid both students and researchers learning the fundamentals of quantum algorithms. |
Monday, March 15, 2021 10:24AM - 10:36AM Live |
A29.00009: Qubit by Qubit: Creating Accessible and Inclusive Quantum Education for High School Students Kiera Peltz, Amir Karamlou, Francisca Vasconcelos, Akshay Agarwal Significant technical progress has been made in the field of quantum computing (QC) in recent years. Current K-12 students will be impacted by these developments and literacy in the underlying concepts, especially for students from underrepresented groups, is critical. However, limited K-12 education - and subsequent research - exists in this space. In this talk, The Coding School’s Qubit by Qubit team will discuss its outreach strategy for reaching underrepresented minorities, inclusive program design, and quantum computing curriculum content accessible at the high school level. We present the results of two introductory, high-school level QC educational initiatives: an intensive 1-week, 300 student summer program and an ongoing 8,000 student, 8-month introductory course. Over 50% of participating students come from underrepresented backgrounds. We present an analysis of students’ prior QC knowledge, attitudes towards QC, and key aspects of programming they find useful. Furthermore, we break down attitudes and interest in QC by math, physics, and programming skill level and knowledge. |
Monday, March 15, 2021 10:36AM - 10:48AM Live |
A29.00010: Bell's inequality in terms of probabilities Thomas Marcella Bell’s inequality is a reality test that can be applied to the results of experiments. If the experimental results satisfy the inequality, then the experiment has an underlying reality that obeys the classical laws. If the results violate the inequality, then the experiment is incompatible with classical theory and there is no process that can replicate the quantum results. We first obtain a form of Bell’s inequality in terms of probabilities by analyzing the results of a true-false exam. The inequality is obtained by simply comparing answer sheets. This straightforward approach contains no physics, but we tacitly assume that Separability and Locality, pillars of classical theory, are in effect. We then analyze the EPR experiment by calculating the quantum probabilities for Alice and Bob separately and then comparing their results. This approach satisfies the Bell inequality, but the quantum probability with Alice and Bob entangled into a whole entity violates it. We conclude, as did Bell, that we cannot avoid the non-locality inherent in quantum mechanics. |
Monday, March 15, 2021 10:48AM - 11:00AM Live |
A29.00011: QWorld: Inviting everyone to be part of the second quantum revolution Abuzer Yakaryilmaz, Andrea Delgado QWorld (https://qworld.lu.lv) is a non-profit global organization that brings quantum computing researchers and enthusiasts together. Its main goal is to popularize quantum technologies and software. Also, through education and skill development opportunities, QWorld is training the next generation of quantum scientists. To this date, we have organized around forty workshops on quantum computing and programming in 17 different countries. One of the critical strategies of QWorld is to establish active and collaborative local groups denominated QCousins. These groups organize events in their regions, often communicating in the native language. They also come together to organize international events and share educational materials and resources. QWorld is also committed to increase women's representation in the field, and for this reason, QWomen was created. QWorld is organized in 3 departments. QEducation is tasked with developing tutorials and design hands-on workshops based on them. In the future, we would like to establish academic curriculums and train educators. QResearch's goal is to bring together researchers to foster collaboration and match students with mentors to develop a short-term research project. Finally, the QJunior program is focused on high school students. |
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