Quantum computing has received extensive attention worldwide. In recent years, quantum scientists represented by academician Pan Jianwei have made remarkable progress in quantum computing. In the framework of university physics courses, the timely introduction of superconducting quantum computing theory can not only serve as an organic supplement and update to the quantum mechanics section of university physics courses, but also enable undergraduate students to have earlier exposure to the principles of superconducting quantum computing and its potential applications. This article attempts to reflect the basic principles of superconducting quantum computing, such as Josephson effect, macroscopic quantum properties, superconducting quantum bit manipulation, etc., within the framework of university physics courses. In addition, it also attempts to incorporate Josephson junction room temperature resistance measurement into university physics experiments in university physics courses. These attempts not only help guide them to focus on the forefront of national strategic needs, lay the foundation for their future research and work in related fields, but also have certain reference significance for the ideological and political construction of university physics courses.
Quantum computing has received extensive attention worldwide. In recent years, quantum scientists represented by academician Pan Jianwei have made remarkable progress in quantum computing. In the framework of university physics courses, the timely introduction of superconducting quantum computing theory can not only serve as an organic supplement and update to the quantum mechanics section of university physics courses, but also enable undergraduate students to have earlier exposure to the principles of superconducting quantum computing and its potential applications. This article attempts to reflect the basic principles of superconducting quantum computing, such as Josephson effect, macroscopic quantum properties, superconducting quantum bit manipulation, etc., within the framework of university physics courses. In addition, it also attempts to incorporate Josephson junction room temperature resistance measurement into university physics experiments in university physics courses. These attempts not only help guide them to focus on the forefront of national strategic needs, lay the foundation for their future research and work in related fields, but also have certain reference significance for the ideological and political construction of university physics courses.
Nowadays, with the continuous progress of science and technology, the role of quantum computers has received more attention and gradually become a part of national strategies. Many countries, such as the United States, China, and Japan, have invested a lot of resources in research and development, striving to make breakthroughs and take the lead in this field, in order to meet the coming of the future computing era. Superconducting quantum computers are the most widely used computers at the moment. Based on the introduction of Josephson junction, the physical principle of superconducting quantum computers, this paper analyses the advantages and disadvantages of multiple quantum bits as well as the algorithms of various quantum gates in superconducting quantum computers. Moreover, the author also looks forward to the development of the related technologies of superconducting quantum computers. Finally, corresponding suggestions are put forward for some current problems.
Quantum computing represents a transformative paradigm that exploits the principles of quantum mechanics—superposition, entanglement, and quantum interference—to perform computations beyond the capabilities of classical computers. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the fundamental concepts underlying quantum computation, including qubits, quantum gates, quantum algorithms and measurement theory. It further examines major physical implementations of quantum computers, such as superconducting circuits, trapped ions, photonic systems, spin-based qubits, and topological approaches, highlighting their operational principles, advantages, and technological limitations. Key challenges hindering large-scale quantum computation—decoherence, error rates, qubit scalability, and fault tolerance—are critically discussed. Additionally, recent progress in quantum error correction, hybrid quantum–classical algorithms, and hardware optimization is summarized. The review concludes by outlining future research directions and potential applications of quantum computing in cryptography, materials science, optimization, and drug discovery. By integrating theoretical foundations with experimental advancements, this article aims to provide a clear and accessible reference for students, researchers, and scientists entering the rapidly evolving field of quantum computing.
As superconducting circuits emerge as a leading platform for scalable quantum information processing, building comprehensive bridges from the foundational principles of macroscopic quantum phenomena to the architecture of modern quantum devices is increasingly essential for introducing new researchers to the field. This tutorial provides a self-contained, pedagogical introduction to superconducting quantum circuits at the undergraduate level. Beginning with an overview of superconductivity and the Josephson effect, the tutorial systematically develops the quantization of microwave circuits into the framework of circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED). The transmon qubit is then introduced as a state-of-the-art application, with a detailed derivation of its Hamiltonian and its interaction with control and readout circuitry. The theoretical formalism is consolidated through a numerical simulation of vacuum Rabi oscillations in a driven transmon-resonator system, a canonical experiment that demonstrates the coherent energy exchange characteristic of the strong coupling regime. This work serves as a foundational guide and first point of contact, equipping students and researchers with the conceptual and mathematical tools necessary to understand and engineer superconducting quantum hardware.
Superconducting circuits based on Josephson junctions are regarded as one of the most promising technologies for the implementation of scalable quantum computers. This review presents the basic principles of superconducting qubits and shows the progress of quantum computing and quantum simulation based on superconducting qubits in recent years. The experimental realization of gate operations, readout, error correction codes, as well as some quantum algorithms are summarized, followed by an introduction of quantum simulation. And then some important applications in fields including condensed matter physics, quantum annealing, and quantum chemistry are discussed.
As quantum computers are becoming available for experiments, their enormous potential is being recognized among college communities. The goal of introducing quantum computing in college level computer science programs is becoming attractive. However, this goal comes with opportunities and challenges. of the challenges is that quantum computing appears to require substantial background in physics as well as in computer science. However, it is hard to convince students to major in these two fields. Computer Science students with a minor in physics can also be considered. Several alternative curriculum structures are possible. A non-consecutive two-course framework is proposed here. A course on Introduction to Quantum Computing may be offered to sophomore level students. This introductory course may teach fundamental ideas about quantum computing with basic concepts behind BQP (Bounded Error Quantum Polynomial) and related topics. This introductory course may be followed up by some physics courses (on related topics such as quantum mechanics) and some computer science courses. Then, a senior level course on Advanced Quantum Computing may be offered that may include some well-known algorithms (such as Shor's Algorithm for Quantum Factorization and Grover's Algorithm for Quantum Search) and their implementation and practices on some simulators (such as QuIDE from http://www.quide.eu/) or some prototype quantum processors (such as IBM's prototype quantum processors). For advanced level courses, some course materials are available from various sources (such as MIT OpenCourseWare). The greater challenge would be in teaching the introductory course mentioned earlier that motivates students towards investing time and efforts in learning quantum computing and related physics, math and computational topics. The challenges of teaching the introductory course should not be underestimated. Some flexible strategies can be suggested for this course so that the biggest challenges can be overcome. Some initial assessments of the students may help adjusting the introduction strategies with student's preparation. What is recommended is that the instructor should be able to adjust the coverage of topics, rigor and depth of treatment. That is, the introductory course should not be rigidly defined. It should be recognized that the main emphasis of the introductory course is actually instilling motivations and curiosity in student's mind about potentials of quantum computing through adaptive teaching of some selected topics where traditional digital computers do not provide tractable solutions. Ideally a balance could be achieved among aspects of depth of treatment, rigor, inspiration, motivation and coverage of topics. Students should be able to realize that the emerging quantum computing technology would be able to provide elegant solutions to some of the classical intractable problems combining ideas from physics, math and computer science in an innovative way. One size fits all is not a good approach and discussion of issues may help us face the challenges better by pragmatically considering a range of possible alternatives. Resources that are currently available may also need to be reviewed for the purpose of introducing quantum computing adequately.
For the existing superconducting qubit devices, constructing the corresponding high-fidelity gate operation after system calibration is a key step to realize quantum computing. As the fifth chapter of the series of “Introduction to physics frontier—superconducting quantum computing”, this paper systematically discusses the physical picture and basic method of constructing superconducting qubit gate operation through microwave pulse, gives a set of construction process of single bit gate operation, and extends the measurement and optimization development of gate operation fidelity. This paper aims to help the physics teachers, senior undergraduates, graduate students, and science and engineering backgrounds interested in superconducting quantum computing readers to systematically understand the whole basic process of superconducting qubit gate construction and gate operation fidelity measurement and optimization.