Dartmouth Events

Abstract: Classically simulating arbitrary quantum systems is a challenging proposition.  As originally elucidated by Feynman, the Hilbert space of a composite quantum system grows exponentially with the number of subsystems, thus greatly limiting the complexity of systems that are classically tractable.  This issue is further compounded by the fact that any realistic quantum system is an open quantum system, thus requiring a state space that is quadratic in the underlying Hilbert space dimensionality.  While this situation seems dire, in many fields such as quantum optics, trapped ions, superconducting circuit devices, semiconducting devices, and most recently nanomechanical systems, it is possible to design systems utilizing a small number of effective oscillator and spin components, excited by a small number of quanta, that are amenable to classical simulation in a truncated Hilbert space.

In this set of three hands-on lectures, we will explore the simulation of quantum optical systems, such as those listed above, using the QuTiP: Quantum Toolbox in Python framework.  From its humble beginnings at Dartmouth College, this set of open-source tools has grown to become the predominate software used around the world in the modelling of open quantum optical systems.  We will work though a set of examples that focus on building and manipulating states and operators, time-evolution of open quantum systems, and several demonstrations of more advanced topics.  In addition, rather than just make use of these tools, we will also discuss what goes on under the hood of QuTiP, and thereby give a glimpse of what goes into classical quantum simulations.