Education Software Development for Undergraduate Exposition on the Use of Quantum Fourier Transforms in Signal Analysis

Contribution: quantum computing (QC) has potential for significant speedup in data and signal analysis in industrial, academic, and government applications. This article introduces new software tools integrated in the online Java-digital signal processing (J-DSP) simulation platform for undergraduate (UG) exposition to QC.Background: In response to national calls for early UG exposition to QC, we develop new J-DSP functionality and quantum Fourier Transform (QFT) tools. In addition, we describe the deployment and evaluation of a hands-on online exercise to introduce UG students to QFT-based signal analysis-synthesis.Intended Outcomes: The primary goal is to expose students to QC by leveraging the new interactive QFT tools in J-DSP. These tools enable rapid exploration of key concepts, such as QFT resolution, qubit precision, and noise effects in signal analysis. Students use the QFT functions in an online QC exercise that we designed.Application Design: The J-DSP interactive online education tools are designed for quick UG exposition to QC. A QFT exercise on speech analysis-synthesis is designed and evaluated. UG Students explore in single hands-on exposition session simple compression steps, including QFT peak picking used in audio coding applications. The QFT functions are designed for quick deployment and UG exposition outside the classroom.Findings: Evaluations of the QFT tools are conducted with pre and post-assessments and interviews examining satisfaction with the system and impact on knowledge acquisition. To analyze the impact of this supplementary QC exposition tool, students were recruited from two senior UG signal processing classes and from a summer research experience for UG (REU) cohort. A paired samples t-test was used to examine changes from pre to post-assessments. The students indicated increased level of understanding at post-assessments. However, a few students reported having at times difficulty with the system. However, the majority of the participants indicated the program was suitable for introductory/exposition sessions.Key Insight: Generally, students found the J-DSP quantum tools effective and easy to use and suggested that adding more qualitative video materials and applying QC to other digital signal processing (DSP) functions would further enhance the learning experience.