This course presents quantum-mechanical principles and introduces the quantum model of computing. This model allows for instance to solve in polynomial time problems believed to be hard in the classical world like factorization (Shor's algorithm). This is a significant threat against many currently deployed cryptographic systems.
After presenting the main quantum algorithms we will cover the foundations of quantum information theory and quantum error correcting codes. Ultimately, we will present cryptographic systems whose security is based on the very nature of quantum mechanics.
We will cover in this course the bases of quantum computation and present the main quantum algorithms that offer a speedup over classical algorithms. We will also cover other applications of quantum mechanics, such as simulating physical systems or quantum cryptography. The latter exploits the laws of quantum physics to stablish the security of certain cryptographic primitives, such as key distribution protocols.
- Teaching coordinator: Debris Thomas