arXiv subjects

Dan-Adrian German

Publications and source records attributed to Dan-Adrian German.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Pathways to Quantum Science for High-School and Incoming College Students

The convergence of AI and quantum computing requires a new approach to cybersecurity. Credible experts estimate that by 2030 a cryptographically relevant quantum computer will be capable of breaking the encryption that underpins all of our digital communication. One of the most disruptive technology in history is coming and it's expected to change everything. In this context academic institutions will contribute to their states' future economic prosperity by leveraging their strengths and resources, particularly talent development, in key and emerging areas prioritized across the state. We report on current efforts to develop a Pathways Plus to Quantum Information Science (QIS) degree, a set of dual credit courses for high-school (HS) students and incoming college students pursuing a minor or specialization in Quantum Computing (QC). As of today, in the US, quantum topics appear on the HS curriculum standards in just two states: OH (Computing) and TX (Physics). Reaching out to HS and even middle school students (and their teachers) presents obvious long-term benefits in terms of workforce development for the quantum industrial ecosystem. Standing in the way of successful, widespread introduction of QC and QIS topics in HS and middle school are three distinct obstacles: (a) lack of materials at the right level for students and instructors, (b) funding and support for professional development for teachers, and (c) lack of state standards. In this paper we address all three aspects with a special focus on the benefits of quantum virtual labs and ZX calculus in the classroom.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2026

Certified Misty-State Rewriting (A Question-and-Answer Guide)

Quantum mechanics is difficult to teach because its conceptual content and mathematical notation usually arrive together. Rudolph's misty-state language was designed to decouple those burdens; basis states are visual objects, clouds represent superposition, gates act by elementary replacement rules, and destructive interference appears as cancellation rather than as matrix calculation. An elementary ``misty-state'' language can make quantum circuits accessible to students before they master complex linear algebra. Development presented here was initiated/led by the first author. The contribution is not a replacement for complete graphical calculi such as ZX or sum-over-paths. It is a source-specific bridge from an intuitive educational notation to a mathematically explicit, executable, and falsifiable semantics.

physics.pop-ph↗

arXiv2026

A Term-Rewriting Semantics for Pure Quantum States

In 2017, Terry Rudolph introduced an elementary rewriting system that relies on a representation of quantum states as misty states to accurately describe the basics of quantum circuits and quantum computation to high-school and middle-school students. The accessibility and effectiveness of the system are remarkable: every calculation can be done to good-enough accuracy, and perhaps with a small overhead, using just a tiny, universal set of gates chosen to take advantage of a remarkable mathematical result by Yaoyun Shi, leveraging another powerful result by A. Y. Kitaev. The misty formalism greatly simplifies calculations and makes them accessible to first-time learners using only simple arithmetic, and without sacrificing accuracy; it, too, is universal, inasmuch as you can use it to do any quantum calculation with maybe just a small overhead. We don't advocate that we should recast all of quantum theory into this formalism. The misty state picture is a good way of getting people to the heart of some nontrivial quantum theory without having to first absorb a huge amount of (what might initially seem largely) irrelevant math. Our argument is that the misty formalism can effectively be used to facilitate a transition to the full, conventional quantum-mathematical apparatus. To this end, we start by reviewing the original proposal, consider its strengths and limitations, and show it in action via entanglement swapping. We then extend the formalism through a new category of (irreducible) misty states acting as fixed points, and present the GHZ game in this new, general setting and representational semantics.

physics.pop-ph↗

arXiv2021

Assessing the Needs of the Quantum Industry

Quantum information science and technology (QIST) has progressed significantly in the last decade, such that it is no longer solely in the domain of research labs, but is now beginning to be developed for, and applied in, industrial applications and products. With the emergence of this new quantum industry, a new workforce trained in QIST skills and knowledge is needed. To help support education and training of this workforce, universities and colleges require knowledge of the type of jobs available for their students and what skills and degrees are most relevant for those new jobs. Additionally, students need to know how to tailor their degrees to best align with the current needs of the quantum industry. We report on the results from a survey of 57 companies in the quantum industry, with the goal of elucidating the jobs, skills, and degrees that are relevant for this new workforce. We find a range of job opportunities from highly specific jobs, such as quantum algorithm developer and error correction scientist, to broader jobs categories within the business, software, and hardware sectors. These broader jobs require a range of skills, most of which are not quantum related. Further, except for the highly specific jobs, companies that responded to the survey are looking for a range of degree levels to fill these new positions, from bachelors to masters to PhDs. With this knowledge, students, instructors, and university administrators can make informed decisions about how to address the challenge of increasing the future quantum workforce.

physics.ed-ph↗