Learning to Teach Quantum Information Using the Visual Quantum Mechanics Project
Abigail Figueroa
Boise State University
Physics Major
Mentored by Dr. Dean Zollman
Quantum Information is seldom introduced until upper level college physics courses, mainly because instructors believe quantum information has abstract concepts that are difficult for introductory level students to understand.It is important to integrate some concepts of quantum information into introductory courses due to its potential relevance to students' everyday lives and its frequent appearance in popular scientific media. The Visual Quantum Mechanics (VQM) hands-on project is targeted to teach quantum mechanics conceptually to students with minimal physics background.We will take the lessons learned from the VQM project to help build a new module on quantum information. We are focusing on the topic of quantum key distribution protocols, specifically BB84,using simulations created by Antje Kohnle and Aluna Rizzoli. In this way, we will be able to teach students in introductory courses about some concepts of quantum information.
Acknowledgments
Dr. Dean Zollman, Raiya Ebini, KSUPER, K-State Physics REU NSF Grant number PHY 1757778
Poster (presented at the 2018 AAPT and PERC Conference in Washington, DC)