Can you build intuition about quantum mechanics through a game

Hong Mei Guo, Juheng Zhang, Gary J. Kœhler

Marien Raat, Luuk van den Nouweland, Matthias Müller-Brockhausen +2 more

This paper develops and analyses a novel quantum combinatorial game: quantum checkers (named Cheqqers). The concepts of superposition, entanglement, measurements and interference from quantum mechanics are integrated into the game of checkers by adding new types of legal moves. The addition of these new rules is done gradually by introducing several levels of 'quantumness'. Quantum checkers provides a framework for interpolating between a known and solved classical game and a more complex quantum game, and serves as 1) a benchmark for AI players learning to play quantum games and 2) an interesting game for human players that allows them to build intuition for quantum phenomena. We provide the initial analysis on the complexity of this game using random agents and a Monte Carlo tree search agent.

Theodore A. Corcovilos

Games are useful tools for introducing new concepts to students. This paper describes a competitive two-player game for sophomore students in a modern physics survey course or junior/senior students in an introductory quantum mechanics course to build intuition and quantitative understanding of the probabilistic nature of quantum measurements in two-level systems such as qubits or the Stern–Gerlach experiment. The goal of the game is to guess a quantum state secretly chosen from a given set in the fewest number of measurements. It uses 20-sided dice or other classical random number generators to simulate quantum measurements. The Bloch vector formalism is introduced to give a geometric description of the quantum states and measurement outcomes. Several ready-to-use sets of quantum states are given, so readers can jump right in and try the game themselves without any prior knowledge of quantum mechanics. More advanced students can also use the game in suggested follow-up exercises to deepen students' understanding of quantum measurements and their statistical description.

Şahin Kaya Özdemir, Junichi Shimamura, Nobuyuki Imoto

Tarun Biswas

Quantum mechanics courses focus mostly on its computational aspects. This alone does not provide the same depth of understanding as most physicists have of classical mechanics. The understanding of classical mechanics is significantly bolstered by the intuitive understanding that one acquires through the playing of games like baseball at an early age. It would be good to have similar games for quantum mechanics. However, real games that involve quantum phenomena directly are impossible. So, computer simulated games are good alternatives. Here a computer game involving three interacting quantum particles is discussed. It is hoped that such games played at an early age will provide the intuitive background for a better understanding of quantum mechanics at a later age.