EQuS Workshop on Python for Quantum Information Science

The EQuS Workshop on Python for Quantum Information Science is dedicated to a harassment-free workshop experience for everyone. Our anti-harassment policy can be found here.

November 17 & 18, 2016. Due to space constraints, registration is now closed.

Two-day workshop as an introduction to Python for scientific computing. Please bring your own computer to this event.

Schedule

Outline

Thursday

• Tools for Scientific Computing 0

  • Learn what a shell is and how to interact with the command line
  • Install and learn about package managers
  • Install and explore two great examples of modern text editors
  • Install and set up Python for the following lectures

• Tools for Scientific Computing 1

  • Secure shell (SSH) for remote and HPC computing
  • Version control with Git

• Python for General Use

  • Introduction to the Python language via an interactive interpreter
  • Learn about types, indexing, functions, and classes in Python
  • Python 2 vs. 3
  • Stylistic guidelines for keeping collaborators happy (incl. future you)
  • Learn about coding interface called Jupyter Notebook

• Python for Scientific Computing

  • Storing, representing, and manipulating tensors of numeric data with the NumPy and SciPy packages
  • R-style data analysis with the Pandas package
  • publication-quality plotting and with Matplotlib, and statistics plotting with Seaborn

Friday

• Open Quantum Systems Simulation with QuTiP

  • Install and configure compilers for use with Python
  • Install QuTiP and learn how to represent quantum states, measurements, unitaries, and superoperators
  • Use QuTiP to examine properties of norms
  • See an example of unit testing in action

• Data Analysis with QInfer

  • Estimate the bias of a classical coin
  • Learn how to use QInfer to perform:
    • quantum state tomography
    • phase estimation
    • randomized benchmarking
  • Specify custom models to use with QInfer

• Instrument Control with InstrumentKit

  • Learn about unit support for calculations in Python via two packages (Quantities and Pint)
  • Go deeper into classes in Python and how they can be useful for designing interfaces to communicate to instruments
  • Design a driver for a demo instrument

• Interoperability with Modern and Legacy Environments

  • Connecting Python to C, MATLAB, and Julia

Before the Workshop

• Please help us save time by downloading the following files, depending on your operating system.
  • Windows 7 or later
    • Anaconda 4.2.0 for Python 2.7
    • Sublime Text 3
    • VS Code 1.7.1
  • OS X 10.7 or later
    • Anaconda 4 for Python 3.5
    • Sublime Text 3
    • VS Code 1.7.1
  • Ubuntu 16.04
    • Anaconda 4 for Python 3.5
    • Sublime Text 3
    • VS Code 1.7.1

Additional Resources

Documentation

• Style Guides and Best Practices
  • PEP 8: documents how to write clear and legible Python code.
  • GitHub Flow: Suggestions and cultural practices for managing Git branches and merges.
  • Good Enough Practices in Scientific Computing: Suggestions on how to make the data you want to see in the world.

Cheatsheets and References

• EPQIS16 Cheatsheet: Custom cheatsheet detailing topics covered in this workshop.

Blog Posts and Lecture Notes

Below, we list some blog posts and lecture notes that may be useful as references, or in digging deeper into the topics presented at the EPQIS workshop.

• SSH and Git Configuration
  • Using SSH Keys in Visual Studio Code on Windows
  • Browser-based Git tutorial via GitHub
• Python
  • Learning Python
• Text Editors
  • Simple Visual Enhancements for Better Coding in Sublime Text

Publicity

• Announcement poster

Licenses and Attributions

The Git logo by Jason Long is used under the Creative Commons BY 3.0 license.