Quantum Engineering

Catalog description

Quantum engineering - the design, fabrication, and control of quantum coherent devices - has emerged as a multidisciplinary field spanning physics, electrical engineering, materials science, chemistry, and biology, with the potential for transformational advances in computation, secure communication, and nanoscale sensing. This course surveys the state of the art in quantum hardware, beginning with an overview of the physical implementation requirements for a quantum computer and proceeding to a synopsis of the leading contenders for quantum building blocks, including spins in semiconductors, superconducting circuits, photons, and atoms. The course combines background material on the fundamental physics and engineering principles required to build and control these devices with readings drawn from the current literature, including promising architectures for scaling physical qubits into larger devices and secure communication networks, and for nanoscale sensing applications impacting biology, chemistry, and materials science.