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arXiv · 2606.23507

Analysis of quantum-related courses and textbooks for potential integration of quantum sensing

Namitha Pradeep·Ben Zwickl
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Abstract

The second quantum revolution is driving advancements in quantum computing, communication, and sensing. While quantum computing has gained significant attention in education, quantum sensing remains largely overlooked. In order to find ways of integrating sensing into existing quantum-related curricula, we performed an analysis of six of the most commonly used textbooks in modern physics, quantum mechanics, and quantum computing. We identified a set of keywords related to quantum sensing and tagged all excerpts in which these concepts appeared. For each excerpt, we also recorded the context in which it was presented within the textbook. Network maps were constructed to visualize which keywords appeared in which contexts and the frequency of these occurrences within each subject area. We then developed an analytic rubric to evaluate the conceptual and mathematical depth of these excerpts as well as the extent of sensing-related discussions. Our results show that there is significant variation in how different subjects address these concepts, both in the nature of the content covered and the depth of coverage. We also observe notable differences in how spin-first and position-first textbooks discuss these keywords, particularly in the coverage and contexts in which core concepts such as superposition and entanglement appear. Additionally, we analyzed course titles and descriptions from a database of over 8,000 quantum-related courses, focusing on those that mentioned ``sensing'' or ``sensor''. Together, these analyses of textbook content and course descriptions inform the quantum information science and engineering education community about potential opportunities to integrate quantum sensing topics into quantum-related courses in physics and adjacent disciplines.

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Namitha Pradeep, Ben Zwickl. 2026-06-22. Analysis of quantum-related courses and textbooks for potential integration of quantum sensing. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.23507

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