PMATH 343Introduction to the Mathematics of Quantum Information
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Mathematics
- Subject
- Pure Mathematics
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 2 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Finite dimensional Hilbert spaces. Unitary operators and evolution of closed systems. Hermitian and positive operators, observables, measurements, and the uncertainty principle. Tensor products, entanglement, and Bell inequalities. Superdense coding, teleportation, and the no-cloning theorem. Ensembles of states, density matrices, and the partial trace. Quantum channels, the Choi-Jamiolkowski isomorphism, and the Choi-Krauss representation. Purification and distance between states.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 6059 | 0 / 30 | TTh 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 701 | 2368 | 12 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
Resources
Around the web
Found by uwloo’s link finder, which checks that each page names PMATH 343.
- William Slofstra's homepage -- Linear algebra and quantum probability Course notes · elliptic.space · from William Slofstra’s site Remove
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
9 posts and comments in 8 threads mention PMATH 343, April 2021 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.
Spring 2022
Any good PMATH course recs for physics? 6 points, 6 comments
“I'm a second-year Math-Phys student looking for some good PMATH courses that accommodate theoretical physics and its framework well (for a minor). …”
u/AirPodGoose: “PMATH 336/334/343/347/365/465 can be good courses, u don’t have a lot of options for pmath electives since you are in math phys (and assuming you take 5 courses per term) but a minor is doable with no problem.”
u/Yu-Li: “As a mathematical physics major, I have taken pmath 321, 351, 352, 343. Planning to take 347 and 863”
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: “… AMATH 251 AMATH 271 PMATH 351 PHYS 358 3A Winter AMATH 353 AMATH 373 PMATH 352 PMATH 365 / PMATH 343 PHYS 242 First coop term Do your first research coop PHYS 342 3B Fall AMATH 473 AMATH 351 PMATH 347 PHYS 442 (get override request) PHYS 475 (get override request) / PHYS 468 …”
[Recommendation] Take PHYS 468 110 points, 37 comments
“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. …”
u/Yu-Li: “How does this course connect with physics? I have taken pmath 343 before and although I got good grades in it, I didn’t really enjoy it. Everything is formalized and almost nothing to do with physics. Felling that my knowledge of quantum mechanics is not applicable.”
Winter 2022
PMATH 343 1 point, 0 comments
u/Basic_Mycologist_764: “Is there anyone in PMATH343 this term? I got enrolled in the course yesterday morning but there is no content on learn. Could someone please dm me the zoom link? Thanks in advance!”
Fall 2021
PMATH343 course notes 3 points, 1 comment
u/eddy314159: “Does anyone have the notes for this course from previous terms? I'm taking it next term and would like to see what I'm getting myself into.”
PMATH 343 2 points, 2 comments
u/Psychological_Fig399: “I’d love to hear the experience of people who have taken this course before. It looks really interesting but unfortunately i’ll be at home on co-op next semester and I live about an hour and a half way from waterloo. …”
Spring 2021
Course to take over coop (2A CS) 15 points, 10 comments
“So I'll be going into my first coop this fall term (just wrapping up my 2A as a seq 4 cs student), in a role I've heard is very light work. …”
u/LilFluffyUnicorn: “I assume by CS 250 you mean CS 251 but anyways, I think any of those courses could be manageable on co-op. …”
u/Psychological_Fig399: “Ir your interested in learning about quantum computing you should almost definitely take math 235 n 237. CS 467 requires it - as well as PMATH 343 (Math abt quantum information) requires math 235 and PMATH 333 (into to real analysis)”
Winter 2021
STAT 230 for physics 1 point, 3 comments
“Hi guys. How important do you think is taking STAT 230 for physics majors? Do you have any amath or pmath recommended courses?”
u/theorganicpotatoes: “… Math 235 (lin alg 2) isn't required for physics students but it was super helpful for me to take that and then branch into pmath 347 (groups and rings), pmath 343 (intro to the math of quantum info), and then Amath 473(quantum theory 2). …”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
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- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them