Announcement #5

9 abril 2026, 22:46 • Carlos Paiva

The room for our discussions (10th April 2026) will be LAB LT1 (4th floor of the North Tower), i.e., the same room for our classes on Wednesdays.

Announcement #4

4 abril 2026, 01:38 • Carlos Paiva

Dear students of TiP (Topics in Photonics),

·       As settled in our classes, the discussions of the projects will take place on 10^th April, next Friday. Later on I will inform you about the room where these discussions take place. Contrary to what it was initially agreed upon, the discussions will begin at 08:00 but will finish at 13:00 (01:00 PM). So, everything should be finished at 13:00; there will be no discussions in the afternoon (i.e., after 13:00).

·       The process will be the following: (i) firstly, all groups present their project; (ii) only after all the presentations have been completed, then the discussions will begin.

·       The presentations of the projects will be done through a PowerPoint file, using a PC that belongs to the group. The projector (in the room) will be connected to the PC either using a HDMI/USB-C connector (that I provide) or, if that is possible, directly to the HDMI port of the group’s PC. The group can also use the whiteboard (in the room) to write, if they wish to do so (or during the discussions).

·       Every element in the group has a small time slot of 5 minutes to present. Therefore, we can guarantee that each group will have (at most) a total slot of 20 minutes to present their project. If we have six groups, the total presentation time will last, at most, less than 2 hours (there are groups will less than 4 elements). So, by 10:00 all the presentations should have be completed and the discussion will begin.

·       I will split the discussions into two separate parts: (i) a first part, focused on Bell’s theorem and Bell’s games; (ii) a second part, focused on the topic chosen by each group. I intend to spend equal time on those two parts, i.e., each part cannot exceed 90 minutes. So, all questions regarding the first part should have finished by 11:30. Therefore, all discussions (including all groups) should have finished by 13:00 (as intended).

·       Although I will begin my questions within a given group, I can also ask those same questions to elements belonging to other groups. At the end of each question I will comment on the answers given by the different students involved (who, as said before, can belong to different groups).

·       I intend to make one session (or, if needed, two sessions) during the next week (let us say one on 6^th April – Monday and the other one on 8^th April – Wednesday, between 15:00 and 17:00) where I will answer your questions. As you know some aspects cannot be technically discussed without some (elementary) mathematical approach (using linear algebra in the field of complex numbers). Although some discussions can be preferably done without mathematical formalism, some specific topics cannot de completely addressed without some mathematical notation. We will always use the Dirac bra-ket notation as the mathematical toolkit.

·       I am sorry if am I have not given personalized answers to the different e-mails you have sent to me. I always thought to address the questions raised in those e-mails using a global answer directed to all students (as this e-mail) because, in fact, there were several points in common that I should address to all students.

·       I have already received some projects. Nevertheless, for the other groups involved, I must remember that the deadline to submit your projects in 7^th April (Tuesday).

Best regards,

Carlos Paiva

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E-mail: carlos.paiva@tecnico.ulisboa.pt

Announcement #3

23 março 2026, 17:40 • Carlos Paiva

Dear students of TiP (Topics in Photonics),

·       According to the (official) website of our course, a total of 28 students are enrolled. As far as I know, most of these students are organized into groups to make a project. As you know,

https://fenix.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/disciplinas/N3610/2025-2026/2-semestre/topics-for-projects

each project has two distinct parts: (i) a first part (let us call it Part A), where the Bell theorem (or any version of Bell Games) is addressed; (ii) a second part (let us call it Part B), where a topic (of each group’s choice) is developed. For Part A, you can, if you wish, analyze the files here:

https://fenix.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/disciplinas/N3610/2025-2026/2-semestre/bell39s-theorem

·       Only a minor set of students were present at all (or, at least, at most of my lectures) in this course. There is no (major) problem with that. There are several available resources where you can learn quantum computation without attending my classes. The only request is that everybody adopt the (almost) universal Dirac bra-ket notation.

·       While I think the deepest understanding of some topics (namely, in Part A) can be conveyed with (very) elementary mathematics, we can safely say that the mathematical level necessary for some specialized topics cannot be the same as in Part A – unless we want to reduce our discussion to a popularized entry level that skims over the more technical aspects, something that cannot be accepted in a master’s course. Nevertheless, in Part A, there is also a deeper connection with philosophy and physical interpretation that cannot be swept under the rug… (as was always the case, and still is, in most textbooks of quantum mechanics, even at the graduate level).

·       In the last class, we agreed that the best option for discussing the projects would be Friday, April 10, i.e., after the end of our classes (on April 2, 2026). That should occupy all that Friday: let us say we begin at 08:00, interrupting for lunch (from 12:00 to 13:00), then resume at 13:00 until the end (around 18:00/19:00). I will only give the (individual) marks, after the end, to ensure a fair overall comparison. Different elements of a group can get different marks. Everybody should attend and be able to participate (namely, by asking any questions they would like to discuss in more depth).

·       If, for some special (and carefully justified) reason, someone cannot be present at those discussions, then (and only then) an alternative solution should be found.

·       Reminder: Students may form groups of 1, 2, 3, or 4 students to make a project. The project should be sent (in PDF format) to my e-mail address (see below). That PDF should come either from a WORD document (preferably with MathType included) or from a LaTeX document. Pictures and figures included should be made by the group or, if that is not the case, the corresponding authors should be properly acknowledged. At the end, a list of references and/or bibliography should be provided. The language should be English (either from the UK or from the USA).

·       Also, all elements of a group should participate in the final discussion to be held after the end of this period (on Friday, 10 April 2026). Students can also provide different topics, if those (new) topics are appropriate for our course.

·       Only those students who do not wish to work on any project can opt out by taking a final exam scheduled for 6 April 2026 (10:30 – 12:30).

·       Finally, all students enrolled in this course can take, if they wish, one exam (e.g., to improve their final marks). That exam is scheduled for 2 July 2026 (13:00 – 15:00):

https://fenix.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/disciplinas/N3610/2025-2026/2-semestre/avaliacao

Best regards,

Carlos Paiva

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E-mail: carlos.paiva@tecnico.ulisboa.pt

Announcement #2

24 fevereiro 2026, 21:51 • Carlos Paiva

Just a reminder: from now on, all Wednesdays' classes will take place (25 February 2026, included) in Lab LT1 on the 4th floor of the North Tower.

Announcement #1

11 fevereiro 2026, 21:55 • Carlos Paiva

Dear students of TiP (Topics in Photonics),

Classes will begin next Wednesday, 18 February 2026, in Room F2 (according to the published schedule, all Wednesdays’ TiP classes will take place in that room):

https://fenix.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/disciplinas/N3610/2025-2026/2-semestre/horario.

Nevertheless, I have changed that room. In fact, all Wednesdays’ TiP classes will take place in another room (only those after 25 February 2026, inclusive): namely, at lab LT1 on the 4^th floor of the North Tower (this lab is also named after our late colleague José Bioucas Dias). All TiP classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays will take place in Amphitheater EA4 (North Tower, 1^th floor). So that remains the same (as indicated on the schedule published in the “Fenix” system).

Now, I am addressing the evaluation methods for our course.

Students may form groups of 1, 2, 3, or 4 students (according to their willingness) to make a small project on one topic they can choose from a list I will provide. The project should be sent (in PDF format) to my e-mail address (see below). Also, all elements of a group should participate in a final discussion to be held after the end of this period (i.e., after the last lecture on 2 April 2026) in just one day and (preferably) as soon as possible (before Friday, 10 April 2026). Students can also provide new topics, if I agree that those (new) topics are appropriate for our course.

Those students who do not want to work on any project can opt out by taking a final exam. This final exam is only for students who do not wish to work on any project, and it is scheduled for 6 April 2026 (10:30 – 12:30).

However, all enrolled students can take another exam (e.g., to improve their final marks in this course). That exam is scheduled for 2 July 2026 (13:00 – 15:00).

There are no mathematical or physics pre-requisites – apart from a general understanding of linear algebra (for the Quantum Computation stuff) and of Maxwell equations (at the undergraduate level of introductory electromagnetism courses).

Let me stress already a very important point: I do not assume that you have any prior knowledge of quantum mechanics. Indeed, the quantum mechanics part of this course is (almost) always absent from the (usual) courses in quantum mechanics. For example, we almost do not need the Schrödinger equation (apart from the fact that it leads to a unitary evolution).

Best regards,

Carlos Paiva

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E-mail: carlos.paiva@tecnico.ulisboa.pt