Mapping expert knowledge of quantum sensing and measurement

Quantum systems and their unique behaviors will lead to significant improvements in computing, communication, and sensing. Of these three application areas, quantum sensing has received little attention within curriculum development. Quantum computing curricula are accessible to many levels (including high school) because the computers are described at a higher and more abstract level that avoids details about widely varying hardware implementations. However, quantum sensors' primary function is to interact with their environment, and the hardware designs are diverse and integral to their operation, which may necessitate additional concepts and mathematical formalism (e.g., continuous time evolution). Unlike many areas of undergraduate physics education, quantum sensing is at the forefront of modern scientific research. Introductory textbooks, which are often used to identify and organize key ideas, do not exist. As a first step in improving quantum sensing education, we are conducting semi-structured interviews with leading experts to understand how they describe the major ideas of quantum sensing and measurement. The interviews employ a concept-mapping activity where experts graphically connect those ideas to each other and to topics in other courses (e.g., undergraduate quantum mechanics or introductory quantum computing). Experts also suggest models of minimum complexity that could be used for teaching and developing exercises around clusters of concepts. We will highlight findings from a small number of interviews to describe our concept mapping method and some preliminary results.