Organization
- Course number: COMPSCI 590AB and 690BB
- Class hours: Tuesday, Thursday: 10am - 11:15am
- Class location: LGRC A104A
- Instructor: Filip Rozpedek
- Office: A230 CSB
- E-mail: frozpedek[at]umass.edu
- Office hours: TBD
(Note: Please include COMPSCI 590AB/690BB 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.
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.
COMPSCI 590AB vs 690BB
Both COMPSCI 590AB and 690BB will meet together and will cover the same material. The difference between the two is that 690BB involves a class project, 590AB does not, see the Grading Criteria below.
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.
Prerequisites
Undergraduate students:
One of the following introductory Quantum Information courses is required: COMPSCI 412/490Q, COMPSCI 590Q, COMPSCI 590QC, E&C-ENG 550, PHYSICS 537, COMPSCI 648, COMPSCI 690QC, E&C-ENG 650 with a grade C or better.
Graduate students:
No formal prerequisites but knowledge of the following concepts and the corresponding mathematical formalism is required:
- Pure states of quantum systems and qubits in particular
- Projective measurements in a basis
- Unitary transformations
- Bloch sphere representation of a qubit
- Basics of the density matrix formalism
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
590AB
| Grading Item | % |
|---|---|
| Midterm 1 (in class) | 30% |
| Midterm 2 (in class) | 30% |
| Final Exam | 40% |
690BB
| Grading Item | % |
|---|---|
| Midterm 1 (in class) | 20% |
| Midterm 2 (in class) | 20% |
| Final Exam | 35% |
| Class project | 25% |
Midterms
The midterm exams will be held during class time on March 5 and April 9, 2026.
Homework sets
The course does not have a graded homework component. However, there will be four (4) ungraded homework sets, each associated with a mandatory homework discussion session.
Homework sets are intended for independent practice and preparation. Each homework set will be discussed during its corresponding discussion session. During these sessions, individual questions or subquestions will be presented at the board by different students.
The homework discussion sessions will be held during class time on February 17, March 3, April 2, and April 30, 2026, see here.
Homework sets will be posted on Canvas two weeks before the corresponding discussion session.
Attendance Policy
Regular participation is essential for success in this course, as a substantial amount of material will be covered and later topics build directly on earlier ones.
Lecture attendance
There is no formal attendance requirement for regular lecture meetings. However, to encourage participation, if the overall average lecture attendance across both 590AB and 690BB exceeds 80%, all enrolled students will receive a 2% bonus to their final course grade. This bonus, if awarded, applies equally to all enrolled students and is determined solely by the overall average lecture attendance. Individual student attendance is not tracked for the purpose of this bonus and cannot be used to earn or deny it.
Homework discussion sessions (mandatory)
In addition to lectures, the course includes four (4) homework discussion sessions. Attendance at these sessions is mandatory for all enrolled students.
- Attendance is defined as being physically present for the full duration of the discussion session.
- Failure to attend a discussion session results in a −2.5% penalty to the final course grade per session missed, regardless of the reason for the absence (unless the absence falls under the exception listed below).
- There are no make-up sessions and no alternative assignments that can substitute for attendance.
- Penalties from missed discussion sessions are cumulative and applied directly to the final course grade.
Collaboration Policy
I support discussing the homeworks with fellow classmates to learn from each other.
Class project for 690BB
The 690BB part of the class will involve a class project which will be assigned or proposed by the student in the second part of the semester. The project might involve studying protocols not covered in class, extensions of discussed protocols etc. Each student enrolled in 690BB will need to make a lecture-long presentation to the class about their project findings at the end of the semester, see schedule here. The length of the presentation can decrease if the 690BB enrolment significantly increases in the first 2 weeks of the semester.
Exam rescheduling policy / Homework extensions / Absence from discussion sessions
Make-up exams, and exceptions to the attendance penalty for missing a homework discussion session will be considered only in cases of documented conflicts or emergencies.
Advance requests
Requests must be submitted in advance and accompanied by appropriate documentation, according to the following deadlines:
- Homework discussion sessions: at least 3 days prior to the session
- Midterm exam: at least 1 week prior to the exam
- Final exam: at least 2 weeks prior to the exam
Late-emerging circumstances
The only exception to the deadlines above is when the conflict or emergency occurs after the applicable cut-off date. In such cases:
- The circumstance must be clearly documented as occurring after the deadline.
- The request, including documentation, must be submitted within one (1) day of the event.
Additional notes
- Requests submitted without proper documentation will not be considered.
- All accommodations are granted at the instructor’s discretion.
Course Communication and Management
The course materials will be posted on Canvas, and Canvas Discussions and Announcements 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. The instructor will respond to your question if 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 homework and exams
The homework sets in this course are ungraded and are intended primarily as a learning exercise. Extensive experience shows that directly relying on AI language models or similar tools to generate solutions often hinders learning. For this reason, the use of such tools in homework solving is strongly discouraged. That said, students may use any external tools to support their understanding of the material.
Disclosure requirement
If you use any external tool while working on a homework set—including AI language models—you are required to disclose this use during the homework discussion session in which you present. Disclosure must include:
- Whether a tool was used, and
- In what capacity it was used (e.g., conceptual clarification, checking an algebraic step, generating a partial solution, etc.).
Exams
For the midterms and the final exam, students are permitted one (1) double-sided letter-size cheat sheet.
No electronic devices or software tools of any kind are permitted during the midterms and the final exam.
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.