After successful completion of the course, students are able to understand the content offered in the lecture, interpret it independently and implement it in their theses, such as Master's or Bachelor's thesis.
The two-level system, also called qubit, is a central component of experimental quantum physics and is the focus of the lecture. Basic concepts and the associated experimental techniques are presented using numerous examples, such as polarization of photons, nuclear spin, transitions in the hyperfine structure of atoms, spin of neutrons. This includes, for example, the Bloch sphere description, Rabi oscillations or Ramsey spectroscopy. Above all, the similarities, but also the differences between the various quantum systems are discussed in detail.
Another focus of the lecture is on the topic of entanglement, more precisely on the development of so-called realistic theories, such as the "Hidden Variable Theories". An understanding of the historical emergence of these theoretical foundations is conveyed in order to be able to better understand the modern concepts and applications that arose from them, such as Bell's inequalities, quantum cryptography and much more.
Compared to other thematically similar LVAs, such as quantum technology (141.A16), this lecture is less application-oriented and is not limited to the two quantum systems trapped ions and superconducting qubits. On the other hand, further concepts such as cavity quantum electrodynamics or three-level systems are described in detail in the lecture Quantum Optics (141.A10).
The lecture is at bachelor level, building on the content of Fundamentals of Physics III, but also suitable for students in the master's program.