• Instructor: Yongshan Ding. Office Hour: Tuesdays 3-4PM (Zoom). Contact information announced on Canvas.
• Course Assistants: Dantong Li. Office Hours: Thursdays 11AM-12PM (in person, HLH17 03). Contact information announced on Canvas.
• Syllabus (general information): https://www.yongshanding.com/cpsc449-s24
• Canvas (announcements and assignments): https://canvas.yale.edu
• Ed Discussion (Q&A forum): Access through Canvas
• Yale Course Search (registration): Link

This course introduces topics in quantum computer and networking systems in the following ways:

• Lectures. We will introduce the core concepts and techniques. Lectures will be recorded and posted on Canvas.
• Think-Pair-Share (TPS). Following the “think-pair-share” collaborative learning strategy, we will hold in-class discussion sessions where students form teams to understand research papers. Students are expected to form in-class discussion groups and share findings with the class.

There is no required textbook for this course. Instead, we have a list of recommended textbooks and some course readings (which will be updated and linked from the schedule below). Recommended textbooks and references:

• D&C: Quantum Computer Systems, by Ding and Chong. Free access via Yale VPN [link].
• N&C: Quantum Computation and Quantum Information, by Nielsen and Chuang.
• W: Theory of Quantum Information, by Watrous. [link]

Assignments are due on Gradescope (accessed through Canvas) at 11:59PM US Eastern Time unless otherwise indicated on the assignment. You may submit up to two days late, with a 50% penalty. Students in CPSC 549 will conduct a final project on selected topics.

There are two types of assignments: problem sets and TPS reports.

• Problem Set 1: Quantum information theory. (15%)
• Assignment 2: Quantum processors. (15%)
• Assignment 3: Quantum memories. (15%)
• Assignment 4: Quantum networks. (15%)

To facilitate cooperative learning, collaboration on the assignments is encouraged. A discussion may take place in a small group (on a whiteboard or on a scratch paper, etc.), but notes or recordings of the discussion are prohibited. All assignments should be written up on one’s own after sufficient time (i.e., at least two hours) has elapsed since any discussion. You must list all your collaborators on every assignment. If you have used external reference materials, please also note this on the assignment. The objective is to demonstrate that you can (re)create a solution on your own. It is prohibited, however, to share solutions or provide hints to other students after you have already arrived at the solution. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with Yale’s Academic Integrity Policy. if you have not done so already. If you have any questions about what does or does not constitute plagiarism, ask! Plagiarism is a serious offense and will not be treated lightly. Fortunately, it is also easy to avoid and if you are careful about giving credit where credit is due you should not run into any problems.

The course grade will be based on four problem sets (60%), online/in-class discussion (15%), and TPS reports (25% for 449 students, or 15% for 549 students).

In-class Engagement. This course made several modifications in its teaching and learning practices:

• Selected course materials will be posted on Canvas to allow students to review at their own pace.
• Incremental assessments over time are implemented.
• Hybrid office hours provide the students with flexibility in ways to reach out to the instructor.
• Group discussions are integrated into classes to enhance student interactions.

Well-being. The well-being of students is important to us at Yale. We know it has been an especially challenging time for many of us over the past year or two, and the university experience can be overwhelming at times. We all rely on support as we navigate during times of struggle. If you or anyone you know are experiencing any stress, anxiety, or isolation, please consider reaching out to a friend, family member, or faculty you trust. If you have a personal emergency that might impact your work in the class, please let Yongshan know so that appropriate arrangements can be made. You may also consider some helpful resources available on campus -- The Good Life Center is the official student wellness center of Yale University and is supported by the Yale Well Initiative.

A tentative course schedule can be found below. Please refresh page frequently for updates. All lectures are held in KL 101 unless otherwise indicated.

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Wednesday, 01/17

Lecture 1: Overview

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Friday, 01/19

Lecture 2: Quantum States, Circuits, and Measurements

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Monday, 01/22

Lecture 3: Density Operators and Quantum Probability

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Wednesday, 01/24

Lecture 4: Canceled

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Monday, 01/29

Lecture 4: Quantum Information Theory: Basics

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Wednesday, 01/31

Lecture 5: Quantum Error Correction

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Monday, 02/05

TPS 01: Surface Code

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Virtual, 02/05

Lecture 6: Quantum Fault Tolerance

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Wednesday, 02/07

Lecture 7: Teleportation and Magic States
Due: TPS 1 report at 11:59PM ET on Gradescope

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Monday, 02/12

TPS 02: qLDPC Code

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Wednesday, 02/14

Lecture 8: QPU Technologies and ISAs - Part I

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Monday, 02/19

Lecture 9: QPU Technologies and ISAs - Part II
Due: TPS 2 report at 11:59PM ET on Gradescope

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Wednesday, 02/21

Lecture 10: Quantum Noise Mitigation

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Monday, 02/26

Lecture 11: Classical-Quantum Co-Processors

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Wednesday, 02/28

TPS 03: Quantum Simulations

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Monday, 03/04

TPS 04: Variational Quantum Algorithms
Due: Assignment 1 at 11:59PM ET on Gradescope

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Wednesday, 03/06

Lecture 12: Canceled
Due: TPS 3 report at 11:59PM ET on Gradescope

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Friday, 03/08

Due: TPS 4 report at 11:59PM ET on Gradescope

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Monday, 03/11

Lecture: No class (Spring recess)

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Wednesday, 03/13

Lecture: No class (Spring recess)

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Monday, 03/18

Lecture: No class (Spring recess)

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Wednesday, 03/20

Lecture: No class (Spring recess)

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Monday, 03/25

Lecture 12: Quantum Memory and Storage

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Wednesday, 03/27

Lecture 13: Quantum Random Access Memory

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Monday, 04/01

TPS 05: Noise Resilience of QRAM

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Wednesday, 04/03

Lecture 14: Quantum Ancillary Memory

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Friday, 04/05

Due: TPS 5 report at 11:59PM ET on Gradescope

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Monday, 04/08

TPS 06: Dirty Ancilla Qubits
Due: Assignment 2 at 11:59PM ET on Gradescope

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Wednesday, 04/10

Lecture 15: Quantum Networking Systems

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Friday, 04/12

Due: TPS 6 report at 11:59PM ET on Gradescope

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Monday, 04/15

TPS 07: Quantum Repeater Networks

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Wednesday, 04/17

Lecture 16: Flying Qubits

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Friday, 04/19

Due: TPS 7 report at 11:59PM ET on Gradescope

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Wednesday, 04/24

Lecture: Topics in Quantum Networking

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Monday, 05/06

Due: Assignment 3-4 at 11:59PM ET on Gradescope

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