Teaching Quantum Physics for Quantum Computing: A Course for Undergraduate Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Mathematics Majors

Many undergraduate students in computer science, computer engineering, and mathematics are eager to learn about the quantum physics that serves as the foundation of quantum information science. However, most of these students have little or no experience with physics at the college level; so, a traditional physics department quantum mechanics course is inappropriate for them. In this presentation, I describe a new one-semester course Quantum Mechanics: A Linear Algebra Approach, designed as a "gateway" course for the University of Maryland's new Quantum Science and Engineering minor program. The course uses linear algebra as a unifying theme and focuses on only those quantum physics topics directly related to quantum information science and quantum computing. Results of both a student satisfaction survey and a quantum computing conceptual survey will be presented. The course could easily be adapted for similar audiences at the graduate level.