Speaker
Description
In a spins-first quantum mechanics class, or in treatments of quantum mechanics suitable for high school, one often discusses simple quantum experiments, such as the Stern-Gerlach experiment, the two-slit experiment, a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, and so forth. Usually, these experiments are discussed, but not demonstrated, because the experiments are either too difficult as single quantum experiments or they are too expensive to set up (even with cheaper alternatives available today). I will describe how one can use freely available quantum computers from IBM's quantum experience to demonstrate these experiments. A wealth of complex phenomena can be examined, including delayed choice experiments, interaction-free experiments, and so forth. One can even examine novel parity-check experiments that cannot be easily done in the lab,but can be done on a quantum computer. This experience is just as real as performing the experiments in a lab, as there are statistical and systematic errors to process and the data is collected and read off by a computer, just as with any other experiment. Using this type of instruction can help modernize the quantum classroom to discussing important single-quantum experiments. It also provides a physics first way to introduce and teach quantum computing.
