dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaPhilosophical Aspects of Quantum Information Theory
| Authors | Christopher G Timpson |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | quant-ph/0611187 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0611187 |
Abstract
Quantum information theory represents a rich subject of discussion for those interested in the philosphical and foundational issues surrounding quantum mechanics for a simple reason: one can cast its central concerns in terms of a long-familiar question: How does the quantum world differ from the classical one? Moreover, deployment of the concepts of information and computation in novel contexts hints at new (or better) means of understanding quantum mechanics, and perhaps even invites re-assessment of traditional material conceptions of the basic nature of the physical world. In this paper I review some of these philosophical aspects of quantum information theory, begining with an elementary survey of the theory, seeking to highlight some of the principles and heuristics involved. We move on to a discussion of the nature and definition of quantum information and deploy the findings in discussing the puzzles surrounding teleportation. The final two sections discuss, respectively, what one might learn from the development of quantum computation (both about the nature of quantum systems and about the nature of computation) and consider the impact of quantum information theory on the traditional foundational questions of quantum mechanics (treating of the views of Zeilinger, Bub and Fuchs, amongst others).
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"abstract": "Quantum information theory represents a rich subject of discussion for those\ninterested in the philosphical and foundational issues surrounding quantum\nmechanics for a simple reason: one can cast its central concerns in terms of a\nlong-familiar question: How does the quantum world differ from the classical\none? Moreover, deployment of the concepts of information and computation in\nnovel contexts hints at new (or better) means of understanding quantum\nmechanics, and perhaps even invites re-assessment of traditional material\nconceptions of the basic nature of the physical world. In this paper I review\nsome of these philosophical aspects of quantum information theory, begining\nwith an elementary survey of the theory, seeking to highlight some of the\nprinciples and heuristics involved. We move on to a discussion of the nature\nand definition of quantum information and deploy the findings in discussing the\npuzzles surrounding teleportation. The final two sections discuss,\nrespectively, what one might learn from the development of quantum computation\n(both about the nature of quantum systems and about the nature of computation)\nand consider the impact of quantum information theory on the traditional\nfoundational questions of quantum mechanics (treating of the views of\nZeilinger, Bub and Fuchs, amongst others).",
"arxiv_id": "quant-ph/0611187",
"authors": [
"Christopher G Timpson"
],
"categories": [
"quant-ph"
],
"title": "Philosophical Aspects of Quantum Information Theory",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0611187"
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