Topic outline

  • General

    Welcome to the Quantum Labs course!

    This course is a labwork (experimental work) which is a compulsory part of the Quantum Technology Bachelor. Due to the restricted numbers of experimental slots, priority at enrollment will be given to students attending the Quantum Technology Bachelor.

    There will be an introductory session Wednesday 6th September 2023, 14:15-16:00, room U119 (Deloitte), in Otakaari 1 building.

    Instructors:
    Ilkka Tittonen, ilkka.tittonen@aalto.fi
    Laure Mercier de Lépinay, laure.mercierdelepinay@aalto.fi (on leave)

    Course assistants:
    Aashish Sah, aashish.sah@aalto.fi
    Suman Kundu, suman.kundu@aalto.fi
    Vladimir Kornienko, vladimir.kornienko@aalto.fi
    Aarne Keränen, aarne.keranen@aalto.fi


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      Introduction slides File
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      Introduction slides - PDF version File
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      Grading system File
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      The course will eventually not give rise to a grade, it is eventually Pass/Fail.

      This grading system is only a tool to help involved teachers to assess the quality of the work. Grades will not be communicated beyond the group of involved teachers/students. The grading system is calculated such that a reasonable effort will allow to pass: students do not need to worry about it and it is communicated here only for the sake of full transparency.

  • Prerequisites

    Quantum Labs course does not require a previous experience with any lab courses.

    However, as the experiments are based on theoretical concepts, participants must have taken these courses:

    PHYS-C0252: Quantum mechanics, and ELEC-C9430: Electromagnetism.

  • Course overview

    Format

    • We will have groups of 4 students, where each group will carry out 4 distinct experiments. All group members must participate in all experiments with the same group.
    • Students can choose their groups and book a time slot in the "Scheduling" section for each experiment, at least 1 week before the slot.
    • Please form groups as soon as possible, preferably within the first week of the course. Also, add the group members in the "Group list" under the "Scheduling" section.
    • Each group member will write one lab report and give a short presentation on a different experiment as agreed within the group.

    Detailed instructions are published in MyCourses. The exercises and the equipment needed to carry out the experiments are also described in sets of video demonstrations. They shall be examined thoroughly before selecting the exercises.

    Grading scheme: Pass/Fail

  • Instruction for reports and presentation

    Instructions for the report

    • Report must contain clear and coherent description of the objectives, methods, equipment and results, showing that the author has investigated and understood the subject.
    • Report starts with a title page showing the name of the exercise, measurement date as well as the work group number and its members. The author shall be indicated clearly.
    • Table of contents must be provided.
    • Results from measurements or simulations must be presented in tables and/or graphically.
    • Report must be submitted in an electronic format as pdf. An anti-plagiarism tool is used by the course assistants.
    • Report is written in English. Foreign course assistants only accept English.
    • The typical length of a report is 4-5 pages, with the maximum length of 5 pages.
    • Using references is obligatory. Using only the instructions and Wikipedia as references is not enough.
    • Plagiarism is strictly forbidden. Misconduct will be handled according to the Aalto University Code of Academic Integrity.
    • The first version of the report is submitted within one week of the measurement session.
    • An optional second version of the report is submitted within one week of the feedback session. If the first version is already accepted as "pass", then there is no need for the second submission.
    You can find the template for the content of the report below.

    Instructions for the presentation

    • From each group, 2 students will give a presentation (of one experiment each).
    • The TAs will choose which 2 experiments will be presented by each group.
    • Each group will choose which 2 students will present these 2 experiments.
    • Presentations will last ca. 8 min + 2 min questions.
    • The presentation will be given in presence of a TA and other students from the class.

    Please find the template for the content of the presentation below.


  • Scheduling

    Note that some of the experiments can only be done during the following dates:​

    Experiment 1: 07.09 - 22.09.2023

    Experiment 2: 08.09 - 02.10.2023​

    Experiment 3: 18.09 - 22.10.2023​

    Experiment 4: 13.09 - 11.10.2023

    Please book 1 slot/group/experiment at least 1 week in advance (except for the first week 11.09-15.09)

  • Lab experiments

    Except for experiment 1 which can be also done remotely, all experiments will take place in the Micronova building (Tietotie 3, same building where the introduction session was held).

    The building is closed after 3:45pm, if you have to come after that time, the teaching assistants will come pick you up at the entrance (try not to be late).

    Please read the instruction document for each experiment before coming to the lab session.