The Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) is a self-contained Digital Engineering faculty at the Universität of Potsdam (Germany). Just recently, HPI introduced its newest Advance Quantum Computing course titled, From bit to Qubit, a tuition-free study program that will provide learners with an in-depth overview of Quantum Physics.
Students will learn more about the basic properties of Quantum bits and Quantum computers. By following the work steps of a quantum computer with pen and paper, the course will bring you back to the origins of the principles behind superposition and entanglement.
The free courses are created so that new course information is unlocked weekly during the period. Students can work on the learning content whenever they like using their online browser or through their mobile app.
In this course, you will learn about the first applications of quantum bits, such as encryption and quantum algorithms, such as the Deutsch-Josza algorithm, and their advantages over classical methods. In addition, the course discusses essential prerequisites for the construction of quantum computers and justified and unfounded expectations of quantum computers.
The Quantum course curriculum
Participants will have in-depth knowledge of the quantum mechanical phenomena and properties of qubits, such as the measurement process, superposition, and entanglement.
In Week 1, Dr Sabine Wölk will discuss the similarities and differences between traditional and quantum bits, or Qubits. Students will grasp the difference between quantum mechanic superposition, in which a qubit is supposedly both 0 and 1 simultaneously, and classical randomness. Students will also learn how many Qubits are used to encrypt messages and what Qubits map to the Bloch sphere.
In week 2, students will deal with quantum systems with two and more qubits. They will learn what the ominous entanglement is all about; get to know a first problem that can be solved exponentially faster with the help of quantum algorithms. Moreover, the feasibility of quantum computing will be discussed, and students will learn which problems can probably be solved more quickly using quantum computing and which cannot.
The course is best for those without prior knowledge of quantum physics who want to use a quantum computer but also learn more about the underlying principles of quantum computing. Although, mathematical knowledge of simple vector calculations and complex numbers helps one understand the course but is not required.
Academics behind the Bit to Qubit course
Sabine Wölk is a theoretical physicist who has been involved in the field of quantum information since completing her doctoral work. As part of their work at various universities in Germany, Austria, and the United States, they also develop quantum learning algorithms and build quantum computers powered by trapped ions.
She has been employed with the DLR Institute for “Quantentechnologies” since 2019 and has been giving lectures at the University of Ulm as a scholar since 2021.
OpenHPI has received multiple honours since the platform’s introduction in 2012, including the Global Summit Award 2018 in the Category “Learning and Education.” And currently, the Bbit to Qubit Quantum course program has approximately 1392 enrollees.
Learn more about the course here.
