Fall 2025
Course Description: This seminar-style course explores the architecture of fault-tolerant quantum computers. Topics include quantum circuits, quantum error correction, surface codes, decoders, and scalable architectures. We will discuss flagship error correction demonstrations and challenges in scaling error-corrected quantum computers. The class emphasizes discussions and critical evaluations of research papers.
Instructor: Swamit Tannu (swamit@cs.wisc.edu)
Time: Mon/Wed/Fri 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM
Location: Microbial Sciences BLDG 1510
Dates: Sep 3, 2025 – Dec 10, 2025
| Week | Dates | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 3–5 | Quantum Bits, Circuits, and Algorithms |
| Week 2 | Sep 8–12 | State of Quantum Hardware |
| Week 3 | Sep 15–19 | Quantum Error Correction Fundamentals |
| Week 4 | Sep 22–26 | Quantum Error Correction with Surface Codes |
| Week 5 | Sep 29–Oct 3 | Decoding Quantum Error Correction Codes |
| Week 6 | Oct 6–10 | Operations using Lattice Surgery |
| Week 7 | Oct 13–17 | Scaling Quantum Control Architectures |
| Oct 21 – Nov 14 | No formal lectures — team meetings & project work | |
| Nov 17 – 21 | Midterm Project Presentations | |
Every Friday, student teams will present and lead discussions on selected papers. Active participation is expected from all students during these sessions.
Milestones will be graded on technical depth, clarity, and timely execution. Details will be shared in class.
Paper Presentations (50%) — weekly team-led reviews and discussions
Midterm Milestone (25%) — team presentations in November
Final Report (25%) — written summary of the project due Dec 11
Readings:
Tools: Qiskit, Stim, WISQ Tools
We will use Piazza for Q&A, announcements, and discussion.