arXiv subjects

Linh Dinh

Publications and source records attributed to Linh Dinh.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Bridging the Quantum Divide: A Learning-Centric Quantum Hackathon for Underrepresented Students (Extended Version)

This paper describes the design and implementation of a two-day quantum hackathon for underrepresented high school students in Nova Scotia, Canada. The first day of the hackathon is spent introducing students to quantum computing through hands-on activities, whereas the second day teaches students to apply this knowledge through guided challenges. Both days are informed by the theory of mastery learning and specification grading, with the full curriculum being crafted within the Integrated Course Design framework. This requires identifying situational factors unique to our target demographics, from which we develop learning outcomes, and then work backwards to a full curriculum with educative assessments. A novel aspect of our hackathon is that all circuit simulations are performed within Quirk: a decision based on best practices in computer science education. Based on feedback from students, we conclude that our hackathon successfully introduced students to the basics of quantum computing, and was able to reach most of our target demographics.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2025

Contributions to the Theory of Clifford-Cyclotomic Circuits

Let $n$ be a positive integer divisible by 8. The Clifford-cyclotomic gate set $\mathcal{G}_n$ consists of the Clifford gates, together with a $z$-rotation of order $n$. It is easy to show that, if a circuit over $\mathcal{G}_n$ represents a unitary matrix $U$, then the entries of $U$ must lie in $\mathcal{R}_n$, the smallest subring of $\mathbb{C}$ containing $1/2$ and $\mathrm{exp}(2\pi i/n)$. The converse implication, that every unitary $U$ with entries in $\mathcal{R}_n$ can be represented by a circuit over $\mathcal{G}_n$, is harder to show, but it was recently proved to be true when $n=2^k$. In that case, $k-2$ ancillas suffice to synthesize a circuit for $U$, which is known to be minimal for $k=3$, but not for larger values of $k$. In the present paper, we make two contributions to the theory of Clifford-cyclotomic circuits. Firstly, we improve the existing synthesis algorithm by showing that, when $n=2^k$ and $k\geq 4$, only $k-3$ ancillas are needed to synthesize a circuit for $U$, which is minimal for $k=4$. Secondly, we extend the existing synthesis algorithm to the case of $n=3\cdot 2^k$ with $k\geq 3$.

quant-ph↗