This course is a broad introduction to quantum information theory and quantum communication theory. Topics to be covered include :
* Closed and open quantum system dynamics.
* Mathematical formulation of a quantum channel.
* The complete positivity constraint on quantum channels.
* Measurements in closed and open quantum systems.
* The classical channel capacity of a quantum channel - How many classical bits can one send over a quantum channel ?
* The quantum state channel capacity of a quantum channel - How well does a quantum state "survive" transmission over a quantum channel ?
* Quantum state compression.
* Quantum state coding theory.
* Open questions in Quantum Information Theory.

The discussion of each topic will begin with an overview of the classical concept, and proceed to the quantum version.

The target audience for this course is advanced undergraduates and graduate students in Physics, Mathematics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Prerequisites are an undergraduate course in quantum mechanics or permission of the instructor.

Grading Scheme : Pass/Fail
Course Credits : 3 Credit Hours
Time/Location : MWF 2-3 PM, Room : Howey N210
Grading : Homework 30 %, Midterm Exam : 30 %, Final Exam : 40 %.

Text : Quantum Computation and Quantum Information by Michael Nielsen and Ike Chuang. Available in the GaTech Barnes and Noble bookstore ( about $ 70).

For more information, please contact John Cortese at (404) 385 - 2930 or john.cortese at gtri.gatech.edu.

A more detailed tentative syllabus can be found here : Postscript or PDF.

Homework Number 1 (Due Monday, August 30, 2004) : Postscript or PDF.

Homework Number 1 Solutions : Postscript or PDF.

Homework Number 2 (Due Friday, September 24, 2004) : Postscript or PDF.

Homework Number 2 Solutions : Postscript or PDF.

Recommended References :

Books :

For classical information theory : Elements of Information Theory by Thomas Cover and Joy Thomas.

For an introduction to basic Quantum Mechanics : Introduction to Quantum Mechanics by David Griffiths.

For a good introduction to Hilbert Space and assorted mathematical tools we shall be using in the course, I have three books to recommend :
Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces by Paul R. Halmos.
Lectures on Groups and Vector Spaces by Chris J. Isham.
Lectures on Quantum Theory : Mathematical and Structural Foundations by Chris J. Isham.

For an advanced discussion of Quantum Computation, you could take a look at : Classical and Quantum Computation by A. Yu. Kitaev, A. H. Shen, and M. N. Vyalyi.

Web Sites :

California Institute of Technology Physics Course Notes for Physics 219

Preprints announcing major breakthroughs in Quantum Information Theory and Quantum Computation are usually posted (and archived) here.

Web page last modified : Friday, October 1, 2004.