CMSC/PHYS 457
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CMSC/PHYS 457 Introduction to Quantum Computing, Spring 2026

Course Description

Quantum computers have the potential to efficiently solve problems that are intractable for classical computers. This course explores the foundations of quantum computing. As a multidisciplinary subject, it covers basic concepts in theoretical computer science and physics, in addition to core quantum computing topics. No prior background in quantum mechanics is required. A strong background in linear algebra is recommended!

Tentative topics include: the quantum mechanics of qubits; quantum entanglement; quantum protocols; quantum circuits and universality; simple quantum algorithms; the quantum Fourier transform; Shor's factoring algorithm; Grover's search algorithm; and selected additional topics as time permits.

Previous Offerings of the Course

General Information

  • Prerequisites: Familiarity with complex numbers and basic concepts in linear algebra (e.g., eigenvalues, eigenvectors, Hermitian and unitary matrices). One course with a minimum grade of C- from (MATH240, PHYS274); and one course with a minimum grade of C- from (CMSC351, PHYS373).

  • Lectures: MW 5:00pm - 6:15pm. IRB 1116

  • Instructor: Prof. Xiaodi Wu
    Email: xwu (at) cs.umd.edu

  • Teaching Assistants: Joseph Li (jli0108@umd.edu), Yi Lee (ylee1228@umd.edu)

  • Syllabus: Check here

  • Office Hours: (Location following CS TA Rooms/Areas: AVW 4140)

    • Wu: During the extra time in lecture or by appointment for projects.

    • Joseph Li: Tu 9:15am-11:15am, Fri 9:15am-10:15am

    • Yi Lee: Thu 3pm-5pm, Fri 12:30pm-14:30pm

    • In general, please send questions/requests to Piazza or set up appointments via email with the instructor and TA. We will respond as soon as possible.

  • Evaluation: Class participation (2%), assignments (40%), exams (38%), and project (20%). Details on the policy page.

How to Navigate the Course

  • Quantum information and computation is an exciting emerging field. It is impossible to cover all relevant topics in an introductory course. Thus, the main goals are:

    • (1) To understand and comprehend the theoretical foundations of quantum information and computation. You may not be able to understand all research papers after this course, but you should grasp the basic language and find relevant references for unfamiliar parts. This will enable you to read research papers and learn more in the future.

    • (2) To cover a selective collection of fundamental topics in quantum computation. You should know key concepts and reason about them at both a high level and in detail.

    • (3) To learn about the research frontier of one specific topic via the course project. This should be a valuable experience in reading research papers and applying knowledge from (1) and (2), especially for graduate students.

  • Studying this course involves a large amount of reading materials. Given the difficulty, a significant amount of effort is expected.

  • Treat the course project as training for navigating literature, collecting information, and understanding research papers efficiently. It would be wonderful if something original emerges, but it is fine if it does not. The main purpose is to facilitate future research.

Assignments

Homework assignments must be submitted electronically to ELMS. (Anyone having trouble with electronic submissions should contact the instructor immediately.) We highly recommend using mbox{LaTeX} for typesetting. In particular, we reward the use of LaTeX with bonus points (an extra 5% of your points). Here is a good reference on using mbox{LaTeX}. Here is a LaTeX template for writing solutions. Check the homework page.

Textbooks & Lectures

We will mainly use notes (available online or our own) for lectures. We will also refer to parts of the following textbooks for further reference.

  • Paul Kaye, Raymond Laflamme, and Michele Mosca, An Introduction to Quantum Computing, Oxford University Press (2007).

  • Scott Aaronson's Introduction to Quantum Information Science (UT Austin 2017).

  • M. Nielsen and I. Chuang. Quantum Computation and Quantum Information, Cambridge University Press; 10th edition, 2011.

  • A. Yu. Kitaev, A. H. Shen, and M. N. Vyalyi. Classical and Quantum Computation (Graduate Studies in Mathematics), AMS, 2002.

  • John Watrous. The Theory of Quantum Information, Cambridge University Press, 2018.

We also maintain a collection of additional resources at the mini-library page.

Social Media

  • We use Piazza as the discussion forum. Piazza is FERPA-compliant, protecting student privacy, keeping information private, and not searchable by search engines. All students are expected to register with an email address of their choice.

  • We use ELMS for submitting assignments and projects and distributing grades.

  • This website serves as the central collection of course information, syllabus, handouts, and references. Please check it frequently!

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