Q-BEAST: A Practical Course on Experimental Evaluation and Characterization of Quantum Computing Systems

TL;DR

Q-BEAST is a practical educational course that teaches students how to experimentally evaluate and characterize quantum computing systems, bridging the gap between theory and real-world application.

Contribution

It introduces a structured curriculum combining quantum computing fundamentals with practical benchmarking and evaluation methodologies for quantum systems.

Findings

Enhanced student understanding of quantum system evaluation

Practical methodologies for benchmarking quantum hardware

Promotion of HPC and QC integration in education

Abstract

Quantum computing (QC) promises to be a transformative technology with impact on various application domains, such as optimization, cryptography, and material science. However, the technology has a sharp learning curve, and practical evaluation and characterization of quantum systems remains complex and challenging, particularly for students and newcomers from computer science to the field of quantum computing. To address this educational gap, we introduce Q-BEAST, a practical course designed to provide structured training in the experimental analysis of quantum computing systems. Q-BEAST offers a curriculum that combines foundational concepts in quantum computing with practical methodologies and use cases for benchmarking and performance evaluation on actual quantum systems. Through theoretical instruction and hands-on experimentation, students gain experience in assessing the advantages and limitations of real quantum technologies. With that, Q-BEAST supports the education of a future generation of quantum computing users and developers. Furthermore, it also explicitly promotes a deeper integration of High Performance Computing (HPC) and QC in research and education.