Organization
- Course number: COMPSCI 590AB
- Class hours: Monday, Wednesday: 4pm - 5:15pm
- Class location: Computer Science Building 140
- Instructor: Filip Rozpedek
- Office: A211E LGRC
- E-mail: frozpedek[at]umass.edu
- Office hours: Mondays, 11am-12pm and by appointment
- TA: Albert Williams
- E-mail: abwillia[at]cs.umass.edu
- Office hours: Wednesdays, noon-1pm and by appointment
- Office hours location: LGRT Room 220
(Note: Please include COMPSCI 590AB in your email subject line for class related stuff!)
Description
The ability to transmit quantum information over long distances will enable implementation of many fascinating quantum communication tasks and provide us with novel capabilities that reach beyond what we can do over classical Internet alone. Examples of such tasks include blind quantum computing, clock synchronization or distributed quantum computing.
Quantum cryptography is one family of such tasks with the most famous one being quantum key distribution. This task, which is currently the most mature quantum technology, enables distribution of shared keys through a protocol that is information-theoretically secure and whose security remarkably is guaranteed by the laws of quantum physics. Such unconditional security cannot be achieved in the classical world.
In the first part, the course will introduce the world of quantum cryptographic protocols and describe how the power of quantum mechanics can enable distribution of shared secret keys even with untrusted devices. It will also introduce many other fascinating quantum protocols beyond quantum key distribution.
In the second part we will learn about the uniquely quantum challenges of transmitting quantum information over long distances. We will then study how to overcome them using different types of the so-called “quantum repeaters”. We will finish by investigating the fundamental limits of quantum communication over practical noisy channels and we will use this framework for assessing quantum repeater performance.
Learning objectives
- Understanding how quantum effects allow for implementation of cryptographic tasks with level of security that cannot be achieved classically.
- Acquiring tools for understanding, designing, and analyzing quantum cryptographic protocols.
- Understanding quantum key distribution protocols and becoming familiar with quantum cryptographic tasks beyond quantum key distribution.
- Understanding how untrusted devices can be tested using quantum mechanics.
- Understanding challenges in long distance quantum communication and becoming familiar with various quantum repeater strategies of overcoming them. Understanding the benefits and limitations of these different strategies and different hardware implementations.
- Understanding fundamental limits of quantum communication.
Prerequisites
A grade of C or better in each of:
- MATH 132 Calculus II
- MATH 235 Introduction to Linear Algebra
- one of COMPSCI 240 or STAT 515 or PHYSICS 281 or PHYSICS 287
A comfort with all the concepts covered in the above courses is required. There is a self-assessment test on Canvas where you can test your knowledge of the prerequisite material.
There will be certain overlap with COMPSCI 490Q Quantum Information Science. While this class builds on some of the concepts introduced in COMPSCI 490Q, it introduces all of them independently so no knowledge of quantum information is necessary, though it would be helpful.
Textbook
Thomas Vidick and Stephanie Wehner. “Introduction to Quantum Cryptography”, Cambridge University Press, 2023.
Julia notebooks
To get a good grasp of the studied concepts, I encourage you to play and practice with the Julia Notebooks that come together with the textbook. The notebooks are available here. You can either run them locally on your computer or remotely in binder.
Course materials
I will be posting the lecture slides and lecture notes on Canvas. Additionally, through the textbook resources you will have access to the lecture videos of Stephanie Wehner and Thomas Vidick here. You might require to be on UMass network or UMass institution login in order to be able to access the videos, but you can also download them.
Grading Criteria
| Grading Item | % |
|---|---|
| Homeworks (4 homeworks, discarding grade from the worst homework) | 40% |
| Midterm 1 (in class test on March 13th) | 15% |
| Midterm 2 (take home test, around May 1st, TBA) | 15% |
| Final Exam | 30% |
Homeworks:
| Posted | Due |
|---|---|
| February 14th | February 21st |
| February 28th | March 6th |
| April 3rd | April 10th |
| April 17th | April 24th |
Midterm 2 will be posted in the morning and will be due at midnight on the same day.
- Midterm 1 will cover material up to March 11th.
- Midterm 2 will cover material from March 25th until April 29th
See also the Schedule here.
Attendance Policy
Regular course participation is crucial to success in this course as we will be covering large amount of material and the new sections will build on the previous ones. However, there is no formal attendance requirement.
Collaboration Policy
I support discussing the homeworks with fellow classmates to learn from each other. However, all of the content you submit needs to be produced independently, in your own words and based on your understanding of the solution. Copying of written homeworks is not permitted.
For the take-home midterm no communication with other students, neither in person nor on fora, is permitted.
Homework and take-home midterm late return policy
Each day the homework is late, the grade for that particular homework is lowered by a factor of 0.9, compounding. The late homeworks are not accepted beyond the 4th day after the deadline.
For the take-home midterm no credit will be given for late submissions.
Exam rescheduling policy
There are no scheduled make-up exams. Make-up exams and/or homework and take-home midterm extensions will only be offered to students with legitimate conflicts or unanticipated emergencies that can be documented in advance (when possible) or after the fact.
Course Communication and Management
The course materials and assignments will be posted on Canvas, while Piazza will be used for communication. We encourage you to help each other and try to answer other students’ questions if you feel you can contribute to the discussion. Of course you should not ask the homework question on the forum. The TA or the instructor will respond to your question if we feel that no reasonable answer has been provided within 24h. Please note that for a question posted on Friday, we do not guarantee reply until Monday and we also do not promise reply during holidays.
Use of Tools (solvers, textbooks, AI, etc) during exams and for homework
As long as you disclose the use, you can use any non-sentient tool you can think of to help with the take-home midterm and homeworks. That includes:
textbooks search engines numerical or symbolic software AI language models and chat tools (e.g. ChatGPT)
However you have to disclose that you used such a tool. In particular, if you find a creative use of such a tool, you might be asked to demonstrate to the class the new technique you have discovered.
Beware, AI language models like ChatGPT might very often produce absolute garbage nonsense while presenting it with a veneer of authority and certainty.
For the in-class midterm and the final exam you are only permitted your own summary notes. No electronic tools are permitted.
Grading scale
Letter scale, listed below. Percentage grades will be rounded to the nearest integer. Adjustments might be made if rescaling/curving is needed.
Undergraduate students
| % | Letter |
|---|---|
| 93-100% | A |
| 90-92% | A- |
| 87-89% | B+ |
| 84-86% | B |
| 80-83% | B- |
| 77-79% | C+ |
| 74-76% | C |
| 70-73% | C- |
| 67-69% | D+ |
| 64-66% | D |
| below 63.5% | F |
Graduate students
| % | Letter |
|---|---|
| 74-100% | Same scale as for undergraduate students |
| below 73.5% | F |
Accommodation Statement
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is committed to providing an equal educational opportunity for all students. If you have a documented physical, psychological, or learning disability on file with Disability Services (DS), you may be eligible for reasonable academic accommodations to help you succeed in this course. If you have a documented disability that requires an accommodation, please notify me within the first two weeks of the semester so that we may make appropriate arrangements. For further information, please visit Disability Services (https://www.umass.edu/disability/)
Academic Honesty Statement
Since the integrity of the academic enterprise of any institution of higher education requires honesty in scholarship and research, academic honesty is required of all students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Academic dishonesty is prohibited in all programs of the University. Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to: cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and facilitating dishonesty. Appropriate sanctions may be imposed on any student who has committed an act of academic dishonesty. Instructors should take reasonable steps to address academic misconduct. Any person who has reason to believe that a student has committed academic dishonesty should bring such information to the attention of the appropriate course instructor as soon as possible. Instances of academic dishonesty not related to a specific course should be brought to the attention of the appropriate department Head or Chair. Since students are expected to be familiar with this policy and the commonly accepted standards of academic integrity, ignorance of such standards is not normally sufficient evidence of lack of intent (http://www.umass.edu/dean_students/codeofconduct/acadhonesty/).
Title IX Statement
In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 that prohibits gender-based discrimination in educational settings that receive federal funds, the University of Massachusetts Amherst is committed to providing a safe learning environment for all students, free from all forms of discrimination, including sexual assault, sexual harassment, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and retaliation. This includes interactions in person or online through digital platforms and social media. Title IX also protects against discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, miscarriage, abortion, or related conditions, including recovery. There are resources here on campus to support you. A summary of the available Title IX resources (confidential and non-confidential) can be found at the following link: https://www.umass.edu/titleix/resources. You do not need to make a formal report to access them. If you need immediate support, you are not alone. Free and confidential support is available 24 hours a day / 7 days a week / 365 days a year at the SASA Hotline 413-545-0800.
Course Inclusiveness Statement
No matter who you are or how you define yourself you are welcome in this class. Each person here is a human being deserving of dignity and respect. My goal is to help you learn the subject matter in a way that you will find useful, and to help you have an enjoyable and empowering experience in doing so. It is important to keep in mind that we are all coming to this class with different backgrounds. We are all here to learn together! There are no stupid questions! From time to time, I may enlist some students to help others in class. If I ask you to help, remember that we all have different modes of learning, and there is no stigma to be associated with needing assistance. Please reach out to me if you have any concerns.
Pronouns Policy Statement
Everyone has the right to be addressed by the name and pronouns that they use for themselves. You can indicate your preferred/chosen first name and pronouns on SPIRE, which appear on class rosters. I will do my best to ensure that I address you with your chosen name and pronouns. Please let me know what name and pronouns I should use for you if they are not on the roster. Please remember: A student’s chosen name and pronouns are to be respected at all times in the classroom.
Extra-terrestial Policy Statement
Extra-terrestials sometimes try to kidnap students during lectures as has been evidenced here. To prevent these type of incidents, all students who notice any suspiciously behaving aliens should report that to the lecturer.