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Lecture Review: Lecture 1: Course Introduction Lecture 2: Linear Algebra and Quantum Mechanics

This document summarizes a lecture on quantum computing and quantum information. It introduces categories and how they provide a unifying framework for understanding differences between classical and quantum mechanics. A category consists of (i) objects and (ii) morphisms between objects. Morphisms can be composed, and every object has an identity morphism. Composition is associative, and identity morphisms act as identities under composition. Categories thus capture the basic structural elements of quantum systems and their transformations.

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Jason Payne
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52 views1 page

Lecture Review: Lecture 1: Course Introduction Lecture 2: Linear Algebra and Quantum Mechanics

This document summarizes a lecture on quantum computing and quantum information. It introduces categories and how they provide a unifying framework for understanding differences between classical and quantum mechanics. A category consists of (i) objects and (ii) morphisms between objects. Morphisms can be composed, and every object has an identity morphism. Composition is associative, and identity morphisms act as identities under composition. Categories thus capture the basic structural elements of quantum systems and their transformations.

Uploaded by

Jason Payne
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lecture Review

7044:
Jason Payne ()
105091414

Lecture 1: Course Introduction


Lecture 2: Linear Algebra and Quantum Mechanics
Appendix: Categories and Quantum Mechanics
Many of the essential differences referenced above between classical mechanics and quantum
mechanics can actually be seen under a unifying light via the mathematical notion of a category.
Though, as we will soon see, the definition of a category at first glance appears quite daunting,
it is actually surprisingly intuitive and physical, seen from the right perspective.
Definition. A category C is consists of two pieces of data:
(i) A collection of objects, denoted by Cob ;
f

(ii) For each pair of objects X, Y Cob , a collection of morphisms X


Y between them,
denoted HomC (X, Y ).
Moreover, these data come equipped with the following structure:
f

(a) For any two morphisms X


Y and Y
Z with the codomain of one overlapping with
gf

the domain of the other, one can compose them to obtain a morphism X Z
HomC (X, Z). In other words, there is a map
: HomC (Y, Z) HomC (X, Y ) HomC (X, Z);
1

X
(b) For every object X Cob , there is a morphism X
X, called the identity morphism
associated with X.

Furthermore, these structures must satisfy the following properties:


(1) Composition is associative: (h g) f = h (g f ) for any composable triple of morphisms
f , g, and h;
f

(2) For any morphisms X


Y and Z
X, the identity morphism 1X satisfies:
f 1X = f

and

1X g = g.

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