Here are the essays that I checked and I like the topics they
address:
1822 Joseph E. Brenner: BIT, IT, BOTH OR NEITHER
(Well-written and interesting for Information. The only backside is that I have Brenner’s
article in the previous special issue, but that was a few years ago. Of course, abstract (and
the article) must be re-written to suit for Information journal.)
1831 Kevin H. Knuth: Influence Network
(Very interesting but I don't understand why he insists on using the word "influence" when he
talks on interaction. That is something we can discuss when he writes an article)
1842 Giacomo Mauro D'Ariano: It from Qubit
(Written by a professor in physics, can develop into interesting article for Information
readership.)
1895 Olaf Dreyer: Beyond information: A bit of meaning
(This is clearly within the scope and interesting)
1789 Michel Planat: It from qubit: how to draw quantum
contextuality
(Interesting topic of quantum measurement as observer dependence in QM.)
From the second part I found two topics very attractive
1908 William C. McHarris: It from Bit from It from Bit...
Nature and Nonlinear Logic
(The question of logic is highly interesting and this essay places very well in the special
issue.)
1816 Carlo Rovelli: Relative information at the foundation of
physics
(This is highly interesting indeed and compatible with the current developments.)
My idea is to choose those articles/authors that try to address most important topics, in the
first place from the point of view of information (and computation) and that is not exactly
the same as looking them from the point of view of physics. That might mean that winning essay
does not necessarily present the best candidate for the special issue.
1: 1842 Giacomo Mauro D'Ariano
TOPIC: It from Qubit
Written by a professor in physics, can develop into interesting article for
Information readership.
This essay's rating: Community = 5.3; Public = 4.3
Author Giacomo Mauro D\'Ariano wrote on Jun. 26, 2013 @ 18:03 GMT
Essay Abstract
In this essay I will embark on the venture of changing the realist
reader’s mind about the informational viewpoint for physics: “It
from Bit”. I will try to convince him of the amazing theoretical
power of such paradigm. Contrary to the common belief, the whole
history of physics is indeed a winding road making the notion of
“physical object”–the “It”–fade away. Such primary concept, on
which the structure of contemporary theoretical physics is still
grounded, is no longer logically tenable. The thesis I advocate here
is that the “It” is emergent from pure information, an information of
special kind: quantum. The paradigm then becomes: “It from
Qubit”. Quantum fields, particles, space-time and relativity simply
emerge from countably infinitely many quantum systems in
interaction. Don’t think that, however, I can cheat by suitably
programming a “simulation” of what we see. On the contrary: the
quantum software is constrained by very strict rules of topological
nature, which minimize the algorithmic complexity. These are
locality, unitariety, homogeneity, and isotropy of the processing,
with minimal quantum dimension. What is amazing is that from just
such simple rules, and without using relativity, we obtain the Dirac
field dynamics as emergent.
Author Bio
I am professor at the University of Pavia, where I teach "Quantum
Mechanics" and "Foundations of Quantum Theory", and enjoy
research with a marvelous group of young collaborators.
2-1890 Sean Gryb
TOPIC: Is Spacetime Countable?
Specific Question that is not in focus for Information journal.
This essay's rating: Community = 5.0; Public = 4.9
Author Sean Gryb wrote on Jul. 5, 2013 @ 16:14 GMT
Essay Abstract
Is there a number for every bit of spacetime, or is spacetime
smooth like the real line? The ultimate fate of a quantum theory of
gravity might depend on it. The troublesome infinities of quantum
gravity can be cured by assuming that spacetime comes in
countable, discrete pieces which one could simulate on a computer.
But, perhaps there is another way? In this essay, we propose a
picture where scale is meaningless so that there can be no
minimum length and, hence, no fundamental discreteness. In this
picture, Einstein's Special Relativity, suitably modified to
accommodate an expanding Universe, can be reinterpreted as a
theory where only the instantaneous shapes of configurations
count.
Author Bio
Sean Gryb worked on his PhD at the Perimeter Institute and is now
splitting his time during a postdoc between Utrecht and Radboud
Universities in the Netherlands. He is working on developing Shape
Dynamics and is generally interested in the foundations and
experimental tests of quantum gravity.
1890
Lawrence B Crowell
TOPIC: It From Bit is Undecidable
3-1625
Specific Question that is not in focus for Information journal.
This essay's rating: Community = 5.0; Public = 2.7
Author Lawrence B Crowell wrote on May. 14, 2013 @ 14:24 GMT
Essay Abstract
The digital model of the universe or \It From Bit" is not decidable. A
model of the physical universe encoded by algorithmic means will
not compute reality. One unknown domain argued to be outside any
computerized model based on current quantum eld theory is
quantum gravity. A change in axiomatic basis is proposed to
address eld nonlocality in quantum gravity.
Author Bio
Doctoral work at Purdue. Worked on orbital navigation and currently
work on IT and programming. I think it is likely there is some
subtle, and in some ways simple, physical principle that is not
understood, or some current principle that is an obstruction. It is
likely our inability to work quantum physics and gravity into a
coherent whole is likely to be solved through new postulates or
physical axioms, or the removal of current ones.
4-1831 Kevin H Knuth
TOPIC: Information-Based Physics and the
Influence Network
This essay's rating: Community = 5.0; Public = 4.3
Definitely interesting. Influence = interaction?
Author Kevin H Knuth wrote on Jun. 24, 2013 @ 16:42 GMT
Essay Abstract
This essay considers a simple model of observers that are
influenced by the world around them. Consistent quantification of
information about such influences results in a great deal of familiar
physics. The end result is a new perspective on relativistic quantum
mechanics, which includes both a way of conceiving of spacetime as
well as particle “properties” that may be amenable to a unification
of quantum mechanics and gravity. Rather than thinking about the
universe as a computer, perhaps it is more accurate to think about
it as a network of influences where the laws of physics derive from
both consistent descriptions and optimal information-based
inferences made by embedded observers.
Author Bio
Kevin Knuth is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Physics
and Informatics at the University at Albany. He is Editor-in-Chief of
the journal Entropy, and is the co-founder and President of a
robotics company, Autonomous Exploration Inc. He has more than
15 years of experience in applying Bayesian and maximum entropy
methods to the design of machine learning algorithms for data
analysis applied to the physical sciences. His current research
interests include the foundations of physics, autonomous robotics,
and searching for extrasolar planets.
5-1627 Cristinel Stoica
TOPIC: The Tao of It and Bit
This essay's rating: Community = 5.0; Public = 5.0
On this same topic we have better article by Joseph Brenner.
Author Cristinel Stoica wrote on May. 14, 2013 @ 14:24 GMT
Essay Abstract
The main mystery of quantum mechanics is contained in Wheeler's
delayed choice experiment, which shows that the past is determined
by our choice of what quantum property to observe. This gives the
observer a participatory role in deciding the past history of the
universe. Wheeler extended this participatory role to the emergence
of the physical laws (law without law). Since what we know about
the universe comes in yes/no answers to our interrogations, this led
him to the idea of it from bit (which includes the participatory role
of the observer as a key component). The yes/no answers to our
observations (bit) should always be compatible with the existence
of at least a possible reality – a global solution (it) of the
Schrodinger equation. I argue that there is in fact an interplay
between it and bit. The requirement of global consistency leads to
apparently acausal and nonlocal behavior, explaining the weirdness
of quantum phenomena. As an interpretation of Wheeler's it from
bit and law without law, I discuss the possibility that the universe is
mathematical, and that there is a "mother of all possible worlds" named the Zero Axiom.
Author Bio
Cristi Stoica is a PhD student, specialized in differential geometry
and mathematical physics. A draft of his PhD thesis, which is about
singularities in general relativity, can be downloaded at
http://arxiv.org/abs/1301.2231
6-1900 J P Baugher
TOPIC: A Crazy It From A Misleading Bit: How A
Zero-Referenced Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
Loses Information And May Be Misleading
Mathematical Physics
This essay's rating: Community = 4.9; Public = 1.4
This does not seem well written and is not directly recognizable to the readers of
Information.
Author Jeff Baugher wrote on Jul. 5, 2013 @ 16:42 GMT
Essay Abstract
Thanks (again) to astronomers, we now can only account for 4% of
the mass and energy density that appears to be governing the
motions in our Universe. Ernst Mach once wrote "The general
experience cannot be constructed from the particular case given to
us. We must, on the contrary, wait until such an experience
presents itself. Perhaps when our physico-astronomical knowledge
has been extended, it will be offered somewhere in the celestial
space, where more violent and complicated motions take place than
in our environment.", "If, however, we so interpret it that we come
into conflict with our experience, our interpretation is simply
wrong." and "Also when we speak of the attractions or repulsions of
bodies, it is not necessary to think of any hidden causes of the
motions produced. We signalize by the term attraction merely an
actually existing resemblance between events determined by
conditions of motions and the results of our volitional impulses." In
this essay, we take Mach's wisdom to heart and re-examine
whether one of our foundational assumptions, the modeling of
forces as vectors, is mathematically complete and whether we have
simply misinterpreted what we choose to see.
Author Bio
J.P. Baugher is a PhD student newly interested in the history of field
theory.
Olaf Dreyer
TOPIC: Beyond information: A bit of meaning
7-1895
This essay's rating: Community = 4.8; Public = 2.0
This is clearly within the scope and interesting.
Author Olaf Dreyer wrote on Jul. 5, 2013 @ 16:31 GMT
Essay Abstract
Is our world just information? We argue that our current notion of
information has one serious shortcoming: It is quite literally
meaningless. We suggest a meaningful extension of the notion of
information that is dynamic, internal, approximate, contains an
element of randomness, and is layered. This new notion of
information derives from the interactions of material objects. Our
answer to the essay question then is Bit from It or, more
appropriately, Bit++ from It. We discuss how our new notion of
information sheds light on the measurement problem in quantum
mechanics and how it can be applied in philosophy and computer
science.
Author Bio
Olaf Dreyer is a theoretical physicist working at the university in
Rome. He received a PhD in Quantum Gravity at the Pennsylvania
State University and has worked at the Perimeter Institute, Imperial
College, and the MIT, where he was supported by an FQXi grant.
8-1896 Ian Durham
TOPIC: Contextuality: Wheeler’s universal
regulating principle
This essay's rating: Community = 4.7; Public = 1.7
Interesting but on this same topic we have broader article by Joseph Brenner.
Author Ian Durham wrote on Jul. 5, 2013 @ 16:31 GMT
Essay Abstract
In this essay I develop quantum contextuality as a potential
candidate for Wheeler’s universal regulating principle, arguing —
contrary to Wheeler — that this ultimately implies that ‘bit’ comes
from ‘it.’
Author Bio
Ian Durham is Associate Professor of Physics at Saint Anselm
College in Manchester, New Hampshire. He is a member of FQXi,
enjoys fly fishing, playing blues and rock harmonica, and spending
time with his family on the coast of Maine where he lives.
9-1789 Michel
Dr Planat
TOPIC: It from qubit: how to draw quantum
contextuality
This essay's rating: Community = 4.7; Public = 3.6
Interesting topic of quantum measurement as observer dependence in QM.
Author Michel Planat wrote on Jun. 10, 2013 @ 17:28 GMT
Essay Abstract
Wheeler's observer-participancy and the related it from bit credo
refer to quantum non-locality and contextuality. The mystery of
these concepts slightly starts unveiling if one encodes the
(in)compatibilities between qubit observables in the relevant finite
geometries. The main objective of this treatise is to outline another
conceptual step forward by employing Grothendieck's dessins
d'enfants to reveal the topological and (non)algebraic machinery
underlying the measurement acts and their information content.
Author Bio
Michel Planat is a senior scientist at FEMTO-ST/CNRS, Besançon,
France. His present main interest is in fundamental problems of
quantum information and their relationship to mathematics. He
wrote about 110 refereed papers or book chapters.
10-1846 Ken Wharton
TOPIC: Reality, No Matter How You Slice It
This essay's rating: Community = 4.7; Public = 4.4
I am not sure if this article would be interesting for Information readership,
however well written.
Author Ken Wharton wrote on Jun. 29, 2013 @ 14:25 GMT
Essay Abstract
In order to reject the notion that information is always about
something, the "It from Bit'' idea relies on the nonexistence of a
realistic framework that might underly quantum theory. This essay
develops the case that there is a plausible underlying reality: one
actual spacetime-based history, although with behavior that
appears strange when analyzed dynamically (one time-slice at a
time). By using a simple model with no dynamical laws, it becomes
evident that this behavior is actually quite natural when analyzed
"all-at-once'' (as in classical statistical mechanics). The "It from Bit"
argument against a spacetime-based reality must then somehow
defend the importance of dynamical laws, even as it denies a reality
on which such fundamental laws could operate.
Author Bio
Ken Wharton is a Professor in the Department of Physics and
Astronomy at San Jose State University. His field is quantum
foundations, with particular interest in approaches that incorporate
the same time-symmetry as the phenomena they purport to
explain.
11-1822 JOSEPH E BRENNER
TOPIC: BIT, IT, BOTH OR NEITHER
This essay's rating: Community = 4.6; Public = 3.0
My favourite, well written and interesting for Information.
The only backside is that I have Brenners article in the previous special issue, but
that was a few years ago. Of course, abstract (and the article) must be re-written
to suit for Information journal.
Author JOSEPH E BRENNER wrote on Jun. 21, 2013 @ 16:09 GMT
Essay Abstract
There is an age-old question as to whether geometry (form) or matter
(energy) is more fundamental in the universe – the “ground of being”.
The current debate – the subject of this contest - is cast in terms of
information and quantum mechanics. Wheeler’s position, following
Wiener, can be summarized by the following statements: 1) information is
not energy; and 2) information and not energy is fundamental. A related
view is that the universe operates like a digital computer, and the
emergence of Its as things from Bits as immaterial digital information is
the only acceptable cosmogony. In his 2011 essay “Bit-from-It”, Julian
Barbour, contra Wheeler, argued in favor of the primacy of energy as
things - Its, but that nature is fundamentally discontinuous and digital and
continuity an illusion. However, as an either-or dichotomy, the contest
question may be badly posed, excluding a possible interactive alternative,
It-and¬-Bit. I first present my views of three major possible positions: •
It-from-Bit: refers to an interpretation of some limited experimental data
and computational hypotheses about the way the universe operates. • Bitfrom-It: suggests that energy is primitive but the dynamics of the
emergence of complex information is not specified. • It-and-Bit: energy
and information emerge from, or are different aspects of, an as yet
undefined primordial substrate more fundamental than either. In my
synthesis of these positions, at some level of reality, energy is more
fundamental than information, and information emerges from but is
always functionally associated with it. In the macroscopic world, energy
and information, as well as continuity and discontinuity, are non-separable
partners.
Author Bio
I have a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of
Wisconsin. After my career in the chemical industry, I joined the
International Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Paris. With it,
and now with the International Center for the Philosophy of
Information, Xi’An, China of which I am an Associate Director, I
have authored a book (Logic in Reality) and some twenty papers on
non-standard logic, information and the philosophy of information. I
am Vice-President, Inter- and Transdisciplinarity of the International
Society for Information Studies, Vienna.
12-1914 Jennifer Nielsen
TOPIC: Is Bit It?
This essay's rating: Community = 4.6; Public = 4.0
Author Jennifer L Nielsen wrote on Jul. 8, 2013 @ 17:30 GMT
This essay misses the point about the relationship between observer and the
system under observation.
Essay Abstract
In his famous “It from Bit” essay, John Wheeler contends that the
stuff of the physical universe (“it”) arises from information (“bits” –
encoded yes or no answers). Wheeler’s question and assumptions
are re-examined from a post Aspect experiment perspective.
Information is examined and discussed in terms of classical
information and “quanglement” (nonlocal state sharing). An
argument is made that the universe may arise from (or together
with) quanglement but not via classical yes/no information coding.
Author Bio
Jennifer Nielsen is a PhD student in physics at the University of
Kansas. She has a broad base of research experience including
work in galaxy evolution, quantum optics and protein crystallization.
She enjoys applied probability (poker), art, and amusing herself
wondering (with obvious futility) what it would be like to ride
around on an electron.
13-1908 William
C. McHarris
TOPIC: It from Bit from It from Bit... Nature and
Nonlinear Logic
This essay's rating: Community = 4.6; Public = 5.9
The question of logic is highly interesting and this essay places very well in the
special issue.
Author William C. McHarris wrote on Jul. 5, 2013 @ 17:03 GMT
Essay Abstract
For the last decade I have been demonstrating that many of the socalled paradoxes generated by the Copenhagen interpretation of
quantum mechanics have less puzzling analogs in nonlinear
dynamics and chaos theory. This raises questions about the
possibilities of nonlinearities in the foundations of quantum theory.
Since many scientists do not think intuitively in nonlinear logic, I
take this opportunity to dwell on several peculiarities of nonlinear
dynamics and chaos: nonlinear logic and the possible connection of
infinite nonlinear regression with free will. Superficially, nonlinear
dynamics can be just as counterintuitive as quantum theory; yet, its
seeming paradoxes are more amenable to logical analysis. As a
result, using nonlinear dynamics to resolve quantum paradoxes
winds up being simpler than many of the current interpretations
being formulated to replace the orthodox interpretation. Chaos
theory could be a candidate for bridging the gap between the
determinism so dear to Einstein and the statistical interpretation of
the Copenhagen School — for deterministic chaos is indeed
deterministic. However, intrinsic physical limitations on precision in
measuring initial conditions necessitates analyzing it statistically.
Einstein and Bohr both could have been correct in their debates.
Author Bio
Bill McHarris is Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and
Physics/Astronomy at Michigan State University. He received his
B.A. in chemistry from Oberlin College and his Ph.D. in nuclear
chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley in the
turbulent 1960's. He came to MSU directly from graduate school as
Assistant Professor, becoming full Professor at age 32. For most of
his career he worked as Senior Scientist at the National
Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory in nuclear physics/chemistry,
but for the last decade has been trying to reconcile chaos theory
with quantum mechanics. He is also a published composer and
organist.
14-1816 Carlo Rovelli
TOPIC: Relative information at the foundation of
physics
This essay's rating: Community = 4.6; Public = 4.1
This is highly interesting indeed and compatible with the current developments.
Author Carlo Rovelli wrote on Jun. 21, 2013 @ 15:50 GMT
Essay Abstract
I observe that Shannon's notion of relative information between two
physical systems can effectively function as a foundation for
statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics, without referring to
any subjectivism or idealism. It can also represent the key missing
element in the foundation of the naturalistic picture of the world,
providing the conceptual tool for dealing with its apparent
limitations. I comment on the relation between these ideas and
Democritus.
Author Bio
Carlo Rovelli is professor of theoretical physics at the University of
Aux-Marseille. His main interest is quantum gravity, but he has
worked also on the foundations of quantum theory and general
covariant statistical mechanics, and on the ancient history and
philosophy of physics.
15-1854 Douglas Singleton, Elias Vagenas, & Tao
Zhu
TOPIC: Self-similarity, conservation of entropy/bits
and the black hole information puzzle
This essay's rating: Community = 4.5; Public = 2.3
Author Douglas Alexander Singleton wrote on Jun. 29, 2013 @ 15:11 GMT
Essay Abstract
John Wheeler coined the phrase "it from bit" or "bit from it" in the
1950s. However, much of the interest in the connection between
information, i.e. "bits", and physical objects, i.e. "its", stems from
the discovery that black holes have characteristics of
thermodynamic systems having entropies and temperatures. This
insight led to the information loss problem {what happens to the
"bits" when the black hole has evaporated away due to the energy
loss from Hawking radiation? In this essay we speculate on a
conservative answer to this question using the assumption of selfsimilarity of quantum correction to the gravitational action and the
requirement that the quantum corrected entropy be well behaved in
the limit when the black hole mass goes to zero.
Author Bio
Douglas Singleton is a professor at California State University
Fresno and currently on a leave at ITB in Bandung, Indonesia. Elias
Vagenas is a professor at Research Center for Astronomy and
Applied Mathematics, Academy of Athens. Tao Zhu is a post-doc at
Baylor University, and holds a position at the Institute for Advanced
Physics & Mathematics,Zhejiang University of Technology,
Hangzhou. All three work in the area of gravitational physics, high
energy/particle physics and the interface between the two.
16-1821 Matthew Saul Leifer
TOPIC: "It from bit" and the quantum probability
rule
This essay's rating: Community = 4.4; Public = 3.7
Author Matthew Leifer wrote on Jun. 21, 2013 @ 16:05 GMT
Essay Abstract
I argue that, on the subjective Bayesian interpretation of
probability, "it from bit" requires a generalization of probability
theory. This does not get us all the way to the quantum probability
rule because an extra constraint, known as noncontextuality, is
required. I outline the prospects for a derivation of noncontextuality
within this approach and argue that it requires a realist approach to
physics, or "bit from it". I then explain why this does not conflict
with "it from bit".
Author Bio
Matthew Leifer is currently an independent scientist living in
London, UK. He completed his Ph.D. in quantum information at the
University of Bristol in 2003. He has since held postdoctoral
positions at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, the
University of Cambridge, the University of Waterloo and University
College London. His research interests encompass the foundations
of quantum theory, quantum information, and the intersection of
the two.
17-1780 Torsten Asselmeyer-Maluga
TOPIC: Spacetime weave - Bit as the connection
between Its or the informational content of
spacetime
This essay's rating: Community = 4.4; Public = 5.6
Author Torsten Asselmeyer-Maluga wrote on Jun. 4, 2013 @ 15:40 GMT
Essay Abstract
In this essay I will discuss the relation between information and
spacetime. First I demonstrate that because of diffeomorphism
invariance a smooth spacetime contains only a discrete amount of
information. Then I directly identify the spacetime as carrier of the
Bit, and derive the matter (as It) from the spacetime to get a direct
identification of Bit and It. But the picture is stationary up to now.
Adding the dynamics is identical to introducing a time coordinate.
Next I show that there are two ways to introduce time, the global
time leading to quantum objects or the local time leading to a
branched structure for the future (tree of the Casson handle). This
model would have a tremendous impact on the measurement
process. I discuss a model for the measurement of a quantum
object with an explicit state reduction (collapse of the wave
function) caused by gravitational interaction. Finally I discuss some
applications of the model to explain inflation and the Higgs
potential.
Author Bio
I'm a post-doc worker at the German Aerospace Center. I received
my PhD at Humboldt university. My research interests are widespreaded from evolutionary algorithms and quantum computing to
quantum gravity. Since more than 15 years I try to uncover the role
of exotic smoothness in general relativity and quantum gravity.
18-1889 Michael James Goodband
TOPIC: The Other Half of Physics
This essay's rating: Community = 4.3; Public = 1.7
Author Michael James Goodband wrote on Jul. 5, 2013 @ 16:14 GMT
Essay Abstract
The physical dynamics of “bit from it” defines Object Physics,
whereas identifying the causation of “it from bit” defines the other
half of physics, Agent Physics. The two halves of physics are
distinguished by a proof that scientific theories in Agent Physics can
be undecidable, whereas those of Object Physics are always
complete. Identification of the “it from bit” character underlying
quantum theory enables a realisation of Einstein’s geometric
unification of physics.
Author Bio
Michael Goodband has a physics degree from Cambridge University,
and a PhD in Theoretical Physics from Sussex University. Author of
“Agent Physics” (2012).
19-1845 Angelo Bassi, Saikat Ghosh, & Tejinder
Singh
TOPIC: Information and the foundations of
quantum theory
This essay's rating: Community = 4.3; Public = 5.9
Author Tejinder Pal Singh wrote on Jun. 29, 2013 @ 14:25 GMT
Essay Abstract
We believe that the hypothesis `it from bit' originates from the
assumption that probabilities have a fundamental, irremovable
status in quantum theory. We argue against this assumption and
highlight four well-known reformulations / modifications of the
theory in which probabilities and the measuring apparatus do not
play a fundamental role. These are: Bohmian Mechanics, Dynamical
Collapse Models, Trace Dynamics, and Quantum Theory without
Classical Time. Here the `it' is primary and the `bit' is derived from
the `it'.
Author Bio
Angelo Bassi works on foundations of quantum mechanics and has a
Ph.D. degree in Physics from University of Trieste. After completing
post-docs at ICTP and LMU, Munich he joined University of Trieste
as faculty. Saikat Ghosh obtained his doctoral degree from Cornell,
and after completing post-docs at MIT and Cornell he is now faculty
at IIT Kanpur. He is an experimental physicist with interests in
quantum optics, precision spectroscopy, quantum measurement and
information theory. Tejinder Singh is Professor at the Tata Institute
of Fundamental Research in Mumbai. His research interests are in
quantum gravity and foundations of quantum mechanics.
20-1836 Yutaka Shikano
TOPIC: These from Bits
This essay's rating: Community = 4.3; Public = 4.0
Author Yutaka Shikano wrote on Jun. 26, 2013 @ 17:30 GMT
Essay Abstract
Is it possible to understand any physical properties once its
Hamiltonian or its Lagrangian is known? This understanding process
seems not to be useless to find unknown physical phenomena.
Therefore, the operational approach is very powerful to overcome
this conflict. We tried to reformulate some physical theories from an
operational viewpoint following in Brillouin's footsteps,. However, as
information theory is not currently applicable to situations where
there are only a small number of samples, we could only consider
macroscopic physical theories: equilibrium thermodynamics and
equilibrium statistical mechanics. The optimal informationtheoretical process corresponds to the equilibrium macroscopic
system, and its essence is a sufficiently large number of samples.
Author Bio
Yutaka Shikano is the research associate professor at Institute for
Molecular Science, and visiting assistant Professor at Chapman
University. He got the Ph. D from Tokyo Institute of Technology in
2011. He worked in Massachusetts Institute of Technology as the
visiting student and the JSPS postdoctoral fellow at Tokyo Institute
of Technology. His current research interest is quantum
foundations, dynamical systems, and photo physics.
21-1870 Deepak Vaid
TOPIC: Elementary Particles as Gates for Universal
Quantum Computation
This essay's rating: Community = 4.3; Public = 4.1
Author Deepak Vaid wrote on Jul. 2, 2013 @ 16:12 GMT
Essay Abstract
It is shown that there exists a mapping between the fermions of the
Standard Model (SM) represented as braids in the Bilson-Thompson
model, and a set of gates which can perform Universal Quantum
Computation (UQC). This leads us to conjecture that the
``Computational Universe Hypothesis'' (CUH) can be given a
concrete implementation in a new physical framework where
elementary particles and the gauge bosons (which intermediate
interactions between fermions) are interpreted as the components
of a quantum computational network, with the particles serving as
quantum computational gates and the gauge fields as the
information carrying entities.
Author Bio
Deepak Vaid has a PhD in theoretical physics from the Pennsylvania
State University. His interests are in quantum gravity, quantum
computation and many-body phenomena. He has been recently
appointed to the post of assistant professor in the department of
physics at the National Institute of Technology, Karnataka (NITK),
India.
22-1856 Christian Corda
TOPIC: Time dependent Schrödinger equation for
black hole evaporation: no information loss
This essay's rating: Community = 5.9; Public = 3.8
Author Christian Corda wrote on Jun. 30, 2013 @ 14:34 GMT
Essay Abstract
In 1976 S. Hawking claimed that “Because part of the information about
the state of the system is lost down the hole, the final situation is
represented by a density matrix rather than a pure quantum state”
(Verbatim from ref. 2). This was the starting point of the popular “black
hole (BH) information paradox”. On the other hand, during one of his
famous quantum field theory lectures at Harvard, S. Coleman claimed that
“The career of a young theoretical physicist consists of treating the
harmonic oscillator in ever-increasing levels of abstraction.” One of the
highest levels of abstraction concerning the harmonic oscillator in Nature
is surely represented by BH quasi-normal modes (QNMs), which are a
countable set of damped oscillations representing the BH's reaction to
perturbations. In a series of papers, together with collaborators, I
naturally interpreted BH QNMs in terms of quantum levels. Here I
explicitly write down a time dependent Schrödinger equation for the
system composed by Hawking radiation and BH QNMs. The physical state
and the correspondent wave-function are written in terms of an unitary
evolution matrix instead of a density matrix. Thus, the final state results
to be a pure quantum state instead of mixed one. Hence, Hawking's claim
is falsified by an application of Coleman's claim. Information comes out in
BH evaporation in terms of pure states in an unitary time dependent
evolution. The assumption by 't Hooft that Schröedinger equations can be
used universally for all dynamics in the universe is in turn confirmed,
further endorsing the conclusion that BH evaporation must be information
preserving.
Author Bio
Theoretical physicist, Ph.D in Physics at the Pisa University. I am
Professor of Theoretical Physics, Chairman and Founding Father of
the Institute for Theoretical Physics and Advanced Mathematics
(IFM) Einstein - Galilei, in Prato, Italy. I started to work on
gravitational waves. In the last two years my research was focused
on black hole thermodynamics. I am also Editor and/or Editor in
Chief of various international journals in the fields of Theoretical
Physics, Astrophysics and Mathematics