Foundations of Quantum Sensing

Overview

Quantum sensing is the most technologically advanced area of quantum information science. It also requires the most advanced prerequisites to enter. These two courses provide a foundation for further work in quantum information science. After completing this sequence (which must be taken in order), you will have the theoretical background for working in quantum sensing. The material is at the undergraduate level. It is condensed in two courses to allow you prepare faster for quantum sensing than other options currently available.

The material culminates in a description of the quantum mechanical ideas needed to make make laser interferometry gravitational observatory (LIGO) work---the most advanced quantum sensor in the world.

The program image is an Image of Peter Turk’s lecture at Imperial College courtesy of Geraldine Cox.

Syllabus

Courses under this program:
Course 1: Mathematical and Computational Methods

Physicists use math all of the time in nearly everything that they work on. This course will help you understand how math is interconnected and recognize that math involves a handful of simple ideas that repeat. By the end of the course, you will be able to re-derive important formulas from basic principles or know precisely where to look them up and use them.

Course 2: Quantum Mechanics

Learn the quantum mechanics needed to prepare you for the second quantum revolution (focused on quantum sensing). We use a new way to teach quantum for undergraduates by focusing on conceptual ideas and operator manipulations. This allows us to discuss more applications to experiment usually done. You need a background in the full calculus sequence and in math methods. Freshman physics and modern physics is recommended. This course is appropriate for physicists, chemists and engineers.

Courses

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18 weeks, 7-10 hours a week, 7-10 hours a week
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Physicists use math all of the time in nearly everything that they work on. Hence, it is critical that you become efficient in being able to use more advanced math to enable you to work on more advanced physics courses. Most of you are currently what I would call a technician at math. You are able to perform the required manipulations to find and simplify answers. But, in many cases, you are missing the deeper understanding to help you interconnect different math topics and for you to be able to apply the relevant math for whatever problem you will face, based on your knowledge of how the different math topics inter-relate. On the other hand, a practitioner is someone who not only is technically adept at performing math calculations, but also have the insight and deeper understanding to know how to recognize what math applies to what problem. They understand how math is interconnected and recognize that math involves a handful of simple ideas that repeat. They are able to re-derive important formulas from basic principles or know precisely where to look them up and use them.

The goal of this class is to transform you from a math technician to a math practitioner. Mathematicians take this one step further and actually create new math. We will not focus on how to do that at all in this class.