This is the initial syllabus of lectures for the course --- always subject to change as the course evolves:

Physics 498 SQD --- Syllabus --- Spring 2021

Superconductivity and Superconductor Devices for Quantum Information Science and Technology
           
Lecture Date Day Topic  
           
PART 1:  Superconducting Materials and Phenomena 11 lectures
1 Jan 26 Tues History and occurrence of superconductivity  
2 Jan 28 Thurs Defining phenomena: zero resistance, diamagnetism, energy gap, …  
3 Feb 2 Tues Phenomenological theories:  two-fluid, London, thermodynamic, ...  
4 Feb 4 Thurs Ginzburg-Landau theory  
5 Feb 9 Tues Characteristic lengths and fields  
6 Feb 11 Thurs Vortex structure and dynamics  
7 Feb 16 Tues Microscopic theory --- BCS  
  Feb 17 Wed Spring Break Day #1  
8 Feb 18 Thurs Nature of the ground state  
9 Feb 23 Tues Quasiparticle excitations and dynamics  
10 Feb 25 Thurs Non-equilibrium effects, transport properties, and fluctuations  
11 Mar 2 Tues Beyond BCS --- unconventional superconductivity, …  
           
PART 2:  Quasiparticle and Josephson tunneling 10 lectures
12 Mar 4 Thurs Quasiparticle tunneling - theory  
13 Mar 9 Tues Quasiparticle tunneling - applications  
14 Mar 11 Thurs Josephson tunneling - theory  
15 Mar 16 Tues Josephson tunneling – dc/ac effects  
16 Mar 18 Thurs Phase dynamics – the RSJ model  
17 Mar 23 Tues Phase perturbations – thermal, quantum, rf, optical, ...  
  Mar 24 Wed Spring Break Day #2  
  Mar 25 Thurs Superconductor research papers due and in-class summaries   
18 Mar 30 Tues Magnetic field effects and Josephson interferometry  
19 Apr 1 Thurs Microbridges/SNS Junctions/SFS junctions  
20 Apr 6 Tues Phase coherence/quantum interference/SQUIDs  
21 Apr 8 Thurs SQUID operation and applications  
  Apr 13 Tues Spring Break Day #3  
           
PART 3:  Superconductor Devices for Quantum Information Science and Technology 6 lectures
22 Apr 15 Thurs Quantum computing --- advantages and algorithms   
23 Apr 20 Tues Macroscopic quantum tunneling and coherence  
24 Apr 22 Thurs Conventional superconducting qubits  
25 Apr 27 Tues Superconducting qubit technology  
26 Apr 29 Thurs Topological materials and Majorana fermions  
27 May 4 Tues Topological qubits   
  May 6 Thurs READING DAY  
           
  May ? ? FINAL EXAM --- QIS presentations