PHYS 468Physics of Quantum Computing
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Science
- Subject
- Physics
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 3 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Qubit operations (DiVincenzo criteria), hardware principles, and qubit diagnostic techniques. Survey of quantum hardware implementations such as photonic quantum computing, superconducting qubits, NMR, ion trap quantum computing, atomic quantum computing.
Prerequisites
- Must have completed the following:
- PHYS334 - Quantum Physics 2 (0.50)
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 8105 | 21 / 30 | TTh 10:00–11:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
88% liked it15% easy100% useful
From 8 ratings and 4 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Fantastic course. Must take if you want to go into experimental physics that has anything to do with quantum. Course goes over some really important techniques in depth that you will not see in other 4th year quantum courses here (quantum theory or phys 434) such as interaction picture, rotating frames, RWA, light-matter interactions, quantum circuits, product states, mixed states etc. Not an easy course but the assignments are written to walk you through how to approach and solve problems; do them earnestly and use the office hours. Exams were fairly reasonable.
Apr 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
The course is great, this is all stuff that people intending to work in quantum info would be expected to know. Prof was great too, very helpful in office hours. The workload is considerable, however. Assignments (weekly) are very long and there is a lot of material to study. This definitely belongs on the list of "heavy 4th year physics courses you don't want with a full course load". I would recommend taking Quantum Theory 2 before this course, but it's not strictly necessary.
Apr 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
I thought CO 481 was hard, and then I took this course.
Mar 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
You need to know all your 2nd and 3rd year quantum stuff or else you'd be behind.
Overall wasn't too hard.
Had 4 assignments and 1 final project. The project was to do write an essay and do a presentation on one kind of quantum computer implementations or a recent topic in quantum computing.
Marking were lenient.Nov 2021 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
13 posts and comments in 12 threads mention PHYS 468, January 2017 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2024
4th Year PHYS Electives 2 points, 0 comments
u/Patience_is_aVirtue: “… There are a few options out there such as PHYS 434, 442, 454, 468, and 490. I am just wondering if anyone has taken these. If so, how was your experience? Did you like the course? …”
Fall 2023
Quantum Computing from Engineering 1 point, 14 comments
“Hello everyone. I still currently attend highschool, and I am conflicted to whether I should go into Computer Eng or Electrical Eng. …”
u/jollymaker: “… If you can you should take PHYS 467 and PHYS 468. As for quantum courses, quantum computing is very different than what you learn in a quantum mechanics. …”
Spring 2022
Mathematical physics Course blueprint recommendations 3 points, 21 comments
“Hey everyone, I’m going into the mathematical physics program at Waterloo next year and I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on a sort of blueprint I could follow for courses because …”
u/Yu-Li: “… 473 AMATH 351 PMATH 347 PHYS 442 (get override request) PHYS 475 (get override request) / PHYS 468 Change coop sequence 4A winter: AMATH 474 PMATH 863 AMATH 475 PHYS 359 One more physics course you like (I would choose from quantum computing/ continuum mechanics/ computational …”
[Recommendation] Take PHYS 468 110 points, 37 comments
u/shayze: “Hey, I'm teaching PHYS 468 this Fall, a course which introduces the inner workings of four types of quantum computers. I wanted to encourage people to take it. …”
Winter 2022
Any online video lectures that were actually enjoyable the last two years? 18 points, 35 comments
u/the_garden_waste: “PHYS 468 with Raymond Laflamme was pretty good!”
Fall 2021
What are your favourite classes at UW 56 points, 87 comments
u/the_garden_waste: “… Richard Epp just makes everything better PHYS 468: Implementation to Quantum Information Processing. Absolutely underrated physics course, a bit of work but worth every second of it. …”
Spring 2020
PHYS 468 and PHYS 467/CO 481/ CS 467 7 points, 7 comments
u/ThiCcMaRTa: “Has anyone taken PHYS 468 or PHYS 467/CO 481/ CS 467? How is the difficulty and the content of the course? I have taken math 235 and phys 334.”
u/962rep: “… For Phys 468 I have not taken it but I looked into previous offerings and it is a survey of implementations of quantum info (photonic, superconducting, etc). …”
Fall 2019
Anyone who have taken PHYS 468? 2 points, 2 comments
u/Logic__Fan: “How hard is the course? I have completed PHYS 467, but I heard that PHYS 468 is even harder than 467. Any suggestion if I should take the course or not”
Spring 2018
Should I choose undergrads ECE or CS if I wanted to do build hardware for quantum computing? 1 point, 5 comments
“My plan right now is to do a masters at waterloo or uoft in something quantum related, which one would allow me to build quantum computer hardware. …”
u/3ACStransfer: “It sounds like you would be very interested in CS/PHYS 467, Introduction to Quantum Information Processing and PHYS 468 Introduction to the Implementation of Quantum Information Processing. …”
Fall 2017
Course Selection Uncertainty 0 points, 3 comments
“Hey guys, I'm currently in 1A CS. Really interested in quantum mechanics, which is why I want to fulfill my depth requirements through either chemistry or physics. …”
u/cabbagemeister: “… CS467 and PHYS468 would be the courses you need for this path. You also need MATH235. …”
CO 481/CS 467/PHYS 467 - Quantum Info Processing 1 point, 8 comments
“While I may be in ECE and enjoy hardware and software, I'm curious about Quantum Information Processing, as they will be the computers of the future. …”
u/n-Category: “I would say the course is moderately difficult for a fourth year course. Not too difficult but not trivial either. That being said, you seem to be in a pretty good position to be taking it. …”
u/ece_te: “… I just looked into the complementary course you mentioned (PHYS 468) and the prereqs to take that course is PHYS 467/CS 467/CO 481. …”
Winter 2017
CS Major + PHYS & CO Minors 1 point, 7 comments
“I am currently a CS major going into 1B and was wondering if it would be insane to add a minor in PHYS to that. If that's doable, how manageable would it be to add a CO minor on top of THAT? …”
u/playa_arena: “… Another thing that might interest you as a CS major are the quantum computing courses (PHYS 467/468). I've heard only positive reviews on these (though I haven't gotten to taking them myself). …”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
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