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 4th 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, 1th 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