What is Quantum Information?

274 Pages·2017·1.361 MB·English

by  Olimpia Lombardi et al. (eds.)

WHAT IS QUANTUM INFORMATION?
Combining physics and philosophy, this is a uniquely interdisciplinary examina-
tion of quantum information science that provides an up-to-date examination of
developmentsinthisfield.
Theauthorsoffercoherentdefinitionsandtheoriesofinformation,takingclearly
defined approaches to considering information in connection with quantum
mechanics,probability,andcorrelations.Conceptsaddressedincludeentanglement
of quantum states, the relation of quantum correlations to quantum information,
and the meaning of the informational approach for the foundations of quantum
mechanics.Furthermore,themathematicalconceptofinformationinthecommu-
nicationalcontextandthenotionofpragmaticinformationareconsidered.
Suitable as both a discussion of the conceptual and philosophical problems of
thisfieldandacomprehensivestand-aloneintroduction,thisbookwillbenefitboth
experienced and new researchers in quantum information and the philosophy of
physics.
olimpia lombardi is the director of a research group in the philosophy of
physics and the philosophy of chemistry. She has reviewed for several of the
most prestigious journals specialized in physics and the philosophy of science,
and has been awarded grants from the Foundational Questions Institute and the
JohnTempletonFoundation.
sebastian fortin is a Fellow Researcher of the National Scientific and
Technical Research Council in Argentina, and has spoken and published widely
on quantum information theory, the foundations of quantum mechanics, and the
foundationsofquantumchemistry.
federico holik isaFellowResearcheroftheNationalScientificandTechnical
Research Council in Argentina. His research focuses on the foundations of quan-
tum mechanics, quantum information theory, the interpretation of quantum prob-
abilities, and the study of the logical, algebraic, and geometrical aspects of
quantumformalism.
cristian lo´pez is a Visiting Fellow of the Münich Center for Mathematical
PhilosophyandholdsagraduateresearchfellowshipattheNationalScientificand
TechnicalResearchCouncilinArgentina.Hisresearchfocusesonthephilosophy
ofphysicsandthephilosophyoftime.

WHAT IS QUANTUM INFORMATION?
Editedby
OLIMPIA LOMBARDI
UniversityofBuenosAires,Argentina,NationalCouncilofScientificandTechnicalResearch
SEBASTIAN FORTIN
UniversityofBuenosAires,Argentina,NationalCouncilofScientificandTechnicalResearch
FEDERICO HOLIK
NationalUniversityofLaPlata,Argentina,NationalCouncilofScientificandTechnicalResearch
CRISTIAN LÓPEZ
UniversityofBuenosAires,Argentina,NationalCouncilofScientificandTechnicalResearch
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www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107142114
DOI:10.1017/9781316494233
©CambridgeUniversityPress2017
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
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noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2017
PrintedintheUnitedKingdombyClays,StIvesplc
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Lombardi,Olimpia,editor.|Fortin,Sebastian,1979–editor.|Holik,
Federico,editor.|López,Cristian,editor.
Title:Whatisquantuminformation?/editedbyOlimpiaLombardi(UniversidaddeBuenosAires,
Argentina),SebastianFortin(UniversidaddeBuenosAires,Argentina),FedericoHolik(Universidad
NacionaldeLaPlata),CristianLópez(UniversidaddeBuenosAires,Argentina).
Description:Cambridge,UnitedKingdom;NewYork,NY:CambridgeUniversityPress,2017.|
Includesbibliographicalreferences.
Identifiers:LCCN2016057954|ISBN9781107142114|ISBN1107142113
Subjects:LCSH:Physics–Philosophy.|Informationtheory.|Quantumtheory.
Classification:LCCQC6.W562017|DDC530.1201/154–dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2016057954
ISBN978-1-107-14211-4Hardback
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URLsforexternalorthird-partyInternetWebsitesreferredtointhispublication
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accurateorappropriate.
Contents
ListofContributors pagevii
Preface ix
Introduction 1
PartI: TheConceptofInformation 7
1 AbouttheConceptofInformation 9
sebastianfortinandolimpialombardi
2 Representation,Interpretation,andTheoriesofInformation 35
armondduwell
3 Information,Communication,andManipulability 53
olimpialombardiandcristianlo´pez
PartII: InformationandQuantumMechanics 77
4 QuantumversusClassicalInformation 79
jeffreybub
5 QuantumInformationandLocality 93
dennisdieks
6 PragmaticInformationinQuantumMechanics 113
juanroederer
7 InterpretationsofQuantumTheory:AMapofMadness 138
ada´ncabello
PartIII: Probability,Correlations,andInformation 145
8 OntheTensionbetweenOntologyandEpistemologyinQuantum
Probabilities 147
amithagar
v
vi Contents
9 InferentialversusDynamicalConceptionsofPhysics 179
davidwallace
10 ClassicalModelsforQuantumInformation 207
federicoholikandgustavomart´ınbosyk
11 OntheRelativeCharacterofQuantumCorrelations 231
a´ngelluisplastino,guidobellomo,anda´ngelricardoplastino
Index 259
Contributors
OlimpiaLombardiUniversityofBuenosAires,Argentina,NationalCouncilof
ScientificandTechnicalResearch
SebastianFortinUniversityofBuenosAires,Argentina,NationalCouncilof
ScientificandTechnicalResearch
FedericoHolikNationalUniversityofLaPlata,Argentina,NationalCouncilof
ScientificandTechnicalResearch
CristianLópezUniversityofBuenosAires,Argentina,NationalCouncilof
ScientificandTechnicalResearch
ArmondDuwellUniversityofMontana,UnitedStatesofAmerica
JeffreyBubUniversityofMaryland,UnitedStatesofAmerica
DennisDieksUniversityofUtrecht,Netherlands
JuanRoedererUniversityofAlaskaFairbanks,UnitedStatesofAmerica
AdánCabelloUniversityofSeville,Spain
AmitHagarUniversityofIndiana,UnitedStatesofAmerica
DavidWallaceUniversityofSouthernCalifornia,UnitedStatesofAmerica
GustavoMartínBosykNationalUniversityofLaPlata,Argentina
GuidoBellomoNationalUniversityofLaPlata,Argentina
ÁngelLuisPlastinoNationalUniversityofLaPlata,Argentina
ÁngelRicardoPlastinoNationalUniversityofLaPlata,Argentina
vii

Preface
It is not easy to work on philosophy of physics when living in the southernmost
country of South America. Besides the language difficulties and the lack of a
tradition on the matter, distance is the main obstacle. Much time and money is
necessary to attend the best academic meetings and to visit specialized scholars:
everythinghappensintheNorthernHemisphere.
For this reason, the Large Grant that we received from the Foundational
Questions Institute (FQXi) was a kind of oasis for our academic development. It
allowedusnotonlytoattendseveralrelevantconferenceswherewecouldpresent
ourworkoninformation,butalsomadeitpossibletoorganizeinBuenosAiresthe
international workshop “What Is Quantum Information?” that was the root from
whichthepresentbookfinallyemerged.Ourfirstacknowledgement,thus,goesto
theFQXi.Butsinceinstitutionsdonotexistwithoutthepeoplewhoembodythem,
our acknowledgement is particularly directed to Max Tegmark and Anthony
Aguirre,ScientificDirectorandAssociateScientificDirectoroftheFQXi,respec-
tively, and to Kavita Rajanna, managing director, and Brendan Foster, scientific
programmesconsultant,fortheircontinuedsupportduringtwoyearsofwork.
The success of the meeting, nevertheless, was the result of further essential
factors.Thefirstofthemwasthefactthatsomeofthemostrenownedinternational
specialistsonquantuminformationkindlyacceptedourinvitationtoparticipatein
the workshop: Jeffrey Bub, Adán Cabello, Dennis Dieks, Armond Duwell,
Christopher Fuchs, Angelo Plastino, Robert Spekkens, and Christopher Timpson.
Theirinterestingtalksandthelivelyfinaldiscussionwereaninvaluablecontribu-
tiontothereflectionontheconceptofquantuminformation.Ourspecialacknowl-
edgementtoallofthem.
WealsowanttoheartilyacknowledgeGloriaDubner,DirectoroftheInstitutode
Astronomía y Física del Espacio (IAFE), who kindly offered the institute as the
venue for the meeting. But the success of the workshop would not be possible
without the essential assistance of the members of the Group of Philosophy of
ScienceledbyOlimpiaandbasedinthefacultiesofsciencesandofphilosophyof
ix