Physical Basics of Quantum Computing (Coursera)

Physical Basics of Quantum Computing (Coursera)

Quantum information and quantum computations is a new, rapidly developing branch of physics that has arisen from quantum mechanics, mathematical physics and classical information theory. Significant interest in this area is explained by the great prospects that will open upon the implementation of its ideas, capturing almost all areas of human activity related to the transfer, storage and processing of information.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

The purpose of this course is to show the basic ideas of quantum informatics, as well as the physical laws and basic mathematical principles. Much attention is paid to such phenomena as quantum entanglement, quantum parallelism, and quantum interference. It is these phenomena that underlie most of the known quantum protocols and algorithms, which are devoted to individual sections of this course. In particular, from the course, students will learn about quantum teleportation, quantum algorithms, quantum error correction and other topics related to the quantum computations theory.
As a result of the course, the students will be able to master the modern mathematical apparatus of quantum mechanics used in quantum computations, master the ideas that underlie the most important quantum logic algorithms and protocols for transmitting and processing quantum information, and learn how to solve problems on these topics.
The course consists of six modules, which are arranged in two parts. The first part (Modules 1-2) focuses on the mathematical apparatus and the foundations of Quantum Mechanics. Physical laws and processes which underlay quantum computations are extensively described. In the second part of the course (Modules 3-6), we show how quantum computations, quantum logic algorithms and protocols of quantum information transfer could be implemented using the laws of quantum physics and phenomena discussed in the first part.
Module 1 focuses on the postulates of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Theory. We introduce the important concept of a qubit and consider variants of its physical implementation. Certain statistical aspects of quantum theory are discussed. The concept of density matrix and separability, the notion of pure and mixed quantum states are introduced. In Module 2 we focus on the phenomenon of quantum entanglement and the mathematical description of entangled physical systems. We also describe an experiment aimed to test Bell inequalities and consider the well-known EPR paradox. In Module 3 we compare classical and quantum computations. Particularly, elementary logical elements (gates) and the simplest commutation schemes are described. The distinctive features of quantum computations are explained in Module 4. In particular, the No-Cloning theorem is proved, which forbids one to copy a qubit, quantum parallelism and superdense coding are discussed. We also describe in detail the protocol of quantum teleportation and give an example of its physical implementation. The well-known quantum logic algorithms are described in Module 5, these are Deutsch and Deutsch-Jozsa algorithms, Quantum Fourier Transform and Shor’s algorithms for integer factorization. In Module 6 we discuss quantum and classical error correction theory: we highlight their differences and similarities, classify the possible error types and describe protocols of their correction.
The material is given in a form of short but informative videos with presentations and a detailed syllabus. At the end of every module, there are tests and control tasks according to the discussed topics. The tasks are organized in the form of problems and tests with multiple choice. Every module is supplemented with a literature list, which contains references on the mentioned researches and extra sources for self-study.
Learning outcomes:
The student who completed this course should:
To know
• fundamental concepts of quantum mechanics and the quantum information theory;
• The most important protocols for the transfer and processing of quantum information;
• The most important quantum logic algorithms;
• The basic protocols of the classical and quantum error correction theory.
To be able to
• work with classical and quantum circuits;
• solve problems in the quantum information theory.
To master
• mathematical apparatus of quantum mechanics used in the quantum information theory.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Statistical aspects of quantum mechanics
Module 1 focuses on the postulates of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Theory. We introduce the important concept of a qubit and consider variants of its physical implementation. Certain statistical aspects of quantum theory are discussed. The concept of density matrix and separability, the notion of pure and mixed quantum states are introduced.

WEEK 2
Quantum entanglement
In Module 2 we focus on the phenomenon of quantum entanglement and the mathematical description of entangled physical systems. We also describe an experiment aimed to test Bell inequalities and consider the well-known EPR paradox.

WEEK 3
Classical and quantum logical operations
In Module 3 we compare classical and quantum computations. Particularly, elementary logical elements (gates) and the simplest commutation schemes are described. The distinctive features of quantum computations are explained in

WEEK 4
Distinctive features of quantum computations
Module 4. In particular, the No-Cloning theorem is proved, which forbids one to copy a qubit, quantum parallelism and superdense coding are discussed. We also describe in detail the protocol of quantum teleportation and give an example of its physical implementation. The well-known quantum logic algorithms are described

WEEK 5
Quantum algorithms
Module 5, these are Deutsch and Deutsch-Jozsa algorithms, Quantum Fourier Transform and Shor’s algorithms for integer factorization.

WEEK 6
Basics of error correction theory
Module 6 we discuss quantum and classical error correction theory: we highlight their differences and similarities, classify the possible error types and describe protocols of their correction.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Statistical Thermodynamics: Molecules to Machines (Coursera) Coursera
Carnegie Mellon University

Statistical Thermodynamics: Molecules to Machines (Coursera)

Modern engineering research focuses on designing new materials and processes at the molecular level. Statistical thermodynamics provides the formalism for understanding how molecular interactions lead to the observed collective behavior at the macroscale. This course will develop a molecular-level understanding of key thermodynamic quantities like heat, work, free energy and entropy. These concepts will be applied in understanding several important engineering and biological applications.

Nov 1st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Vers l'infiniment petit (Coursera) Coursera
École Polytechnique

Vers l'infiniment petit (Coursera)

Partez à la découverte de l'infiniment petit, en compagnie de physiciens et de physiciennes qui vont vous faire découvrir les secrets de la matière quand on l'étudie aux distances les plus courtes, aux énergies les plus élevées. Vous vous initierez aux progrès les plus récents de la recherche en physique nucléaire et de la physique des particules, et vous découvrirez les principes des accélérateurs et des détecteurs avec lesquels on a pu étudier la matière à ces échelles, pour arriver jusqu'à la découverte du boson de Higgs en 2012 auprès du collisionneur de particules du CERN, le LHC.

Oct 19th 2026
4 Weeks
Big History - From the Big Bang until Today (Coursera) Coursera
University of Amsterdam

Big History - From the Big Bang until Today (Coursera)

Welcome to this Big History course! In this course, renowned scientists and scholars from the University of Amsterdam and beyond will take you on a journey from the Big Bang until today while addressing key questions in their fields. After completing this journey you will have developed a better understanding of how you and everything around you became the way they are today.

Oct 26th 2026
4 Weeks
Physics of silicon solar cells (Coursera) Coursera
École Polytechnique

Physics of silicon solar cells (Coursera)

The first MOOC “Photovoltaic solar energy” is a general presentation of the solar photovoltaics technologies in the global energetic context, without extensive details. In particular the description of the solar cell operation is restricted to the ideal case. In contrast this second MOOC allows a deep understanding of the properties of solar cells based on crystalline semiconductors.

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Vers l'infiniment grand (Coursera) Coursera
École Polytechnique

Vers l'infiniment grand (Coursera)

Partez à la découverte de l'infiniment grand, en compagnie de physiciens et de physiciennes qui vont vous faire découvrir l'Univers aux distances les plus grandes connues à ce jour et les outils scientifiques utilisés pour l'étudier. Vous comprendrez ce que les scientifiques ont pu apprendre sur l'histoire et la structure de l'Univers, ses composantes, et comment ils ont pu accumuler ces observations sur les étoiles, les galaxies, les amas de galaxies, et l'Univers dans son ensemble.

Oct 19th 2026
4 Weeks
The Sun and the Total Eclipse of August 2017 (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado Boulder

The Sun and the Total Eclipse of August 2017 (Coursera)

A total eclipse is one of the most spectacular sights you can ever see! It looks like the end of the world may be at hand. There is a black hole in the sky where the sun should be. Pink flames of solar prominences and long silver streamers of the sun's corona stretch across the sky. It gets cold, and animals do strange things. People scream and shout and cheer, and remember the experience their whole life. But total eclipses are important scientifically as well.

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks
The Discovery of the Higgs Boson (Coursera) Coursera
University of Edinburgh

The Discovery of the Higgs Boson (Coursera)

The discovery of a new fundamental particle at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), CERN is the latest step in a long quest seeking to answer one of physics’ most enduring questions: why do particles have mass? The experiments’ much anticipated success confirms predictions made decades earlier by Peter Higgs and others, and offers a glimpse into a universe of physics beyond the Standard Model.

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Understanding Modern Physics II: Quantum Mechanics and Atoms (Coursera) Coursera
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST

Understanding Modern Physics II: Quantum Mechanics and Atoms (Coursera)

The 20th century was known as the century of physics. In the past 120 years, concepts such as space, time, energy, entropy and particles were understood to much deeper levels. New paradigms of thinking such as relativity and quantum mechanics emerged. This course is the second course in the Understanding Modern Physics series, which covers an introduction to quantum mechanics, atomic physics and quantum information.

Oct 26th 2026
4 Weeks
AstroTech: The Science and Technology behind Astronomical Discovery (Coursera) Coursera
University of Edinburgh

AstroTech: The Science and Technology behind Astronomical Discovery (Coursera)

Modern astronomy has made some astonishing discoveries - how stars burn and how black holes form; galaxies from the edge of the universe and killer rocks right next door; where the elements come from and how the expanding universe is accelerating. But how do we know all that? The truth is that astronomy would be impossible without technology, and every advance in astronomy is really an advance in technology. But the technology by itself is not enough. We have to apply it critically with a knowledge of physics to unlock the secrets of the Universe.

Oct 19th 2026
5-12 Weeks