Integrating Quantum Computing Topics and a Quantum Festival Capstone in an Undergraduate Quantum Mechanics Course

I describe teaching initiatives I have taken to weave the exciting field of quantum information and quantum technologies into an upper-division course in Quantum Mechanics. Within the framework of developing the formalisms of state vectors and the Dirac notation in classic two-level systems, I discuss the foundation and motivation of quantum computing and use examples of two-level qubits to illustrate the evolution of quantum states on the Bloch Sphere. I use this framework to discuss superposition, decoherence and coherence times. When I discuss quantum entanglement, I use the platform of a two-qubit system and discuss, in detail, the quantum teleportation of information between Alice and Bob and the quantum circuits and circuit diagrams for this experiment. I also discuss different physical approaches to quantum computing. Student understanding of quantum information concepts and operations are assessed using multiple choice questions and problem-solving such as in the Alice-Bob quantum teleportation schemes. To help students engage with real-world applications and issues in quantum information, students participate in a "Quantum Festival" at the end of the course through individual twenty-minute capstone presentations on topics they select from a list of quantum information-related topics. I report on the products of the course, assessment of quantum computing concepts via quizzes and exams, and student feedback through blind surveys.