Quantum Detectors

This course is a part of Quantum Technology: Computing, a 5-course MicroMasters series from edX.

Of note: The final session of this course will begin February 12, 2024. This course will be retired after the spring session and will no longer be available. Learners who purchase this course will need to complete the course during the final spring session.

Classical detectors and sensors are ubiquitous around us from heat sensors in cars to light detectors in a camera cell phone. Leveraging advances in the theory of noise and measurement, an important paradigm of quantum metrology has emerged. Here, ultra-precision measurement devices collect maximal information from the world around us at the quantum limit. This enables a new frontier of perception that promises to impact machine learning, autonomous navigation, surveillance strategies, information processing, and communication systems. Students in this 5-week short course will learn the fundamentals about state-of-the-art quantum detectors and sensors. The primary goal of the course is to empower students with a critical and deep understanding of emerging applications at the quantum-classical boundary. This will allow them to adopt quantum detectors and sensors for their own endeavors.

What you'll learn

• Foundations of Quantum metrology
• Operating principles of single photon detectors
• Quantum sensing devices including magnetometers and interferometers