Fundamentals of Physics and Information
Pauli Center for Theoretical Studies
A workshop at ETH Zurich, Tue 8 June- Fri 11 June.
A key focal point of modern physics is understanding the fundamental relationship between information theory and physics. What kind of information processing is possible depends on the laws of nature. Conversely, what kind of information processing is possible limits the laws of nature. Understanding this relation is crucial for identifying the fundamental possibilities of information processing. It moreover gives a different and strikingly powerful perspective on quantum effects, in terms of information.
The workshop saw researchers in physics, computing and mathematics discussing recent progress in this direction, including:
- Progress in deriving quantum theory from information theoretic principles, e.g. Information Causality or the Fuchs-Brassard Conjecture.
- Information processing in generalised probabilistic theories, including foil theories such as box-world (GNST).
- Connection between strength of correlations/entanglement and computational power.
- Theory-independent definitions of information.
- Information about what? What in nature is ontological/epistemic?
Participants
- Howard Barnum (Perimeter)
- Jon Barrett (Bristol)
- Dan Browne (UCL)
- Nicolas Brunner (Bristol)
- Giulio Chiribella (Perimeter)
- Roger Colbeck (Perimeter)
- Chris Fuchs (Perimeter)
- Christian Gogolin (Potsdam/Bristol)
- David Gross (Hannover)
- Peter Janotta (Würzburg)
- David Jennings (Imperial)
- Matthias Kleinmann (Innsbruck)
- Peter Lewis (Imperial)
- Lluis Masanes (Barcelona)
- Markus Mueller (Berlin/Potsdam)
- Jonathan Oppenheim (Cambridge)
- Marcin Pawlowski (Gdansk)
- Ruediger Schack (Royal Holloway)
- Volkher Scholz (Hannover)
- Tony Short (Cambridge)
- Wonmin Son (Singapore)
- Ernst Specker (ETH)
- Rob Spekkens (Perimeter)
- Vlatko Vedral (Singapore/Oxford)
Location
ETH Zurich main building [getting there]. Hermann Weyl room (floor G, number 43) [floor plan].
Programme
|
Tuesday 8 June |
||
| 10-11 | Barnum | Steering and Teleportation in Probabilistic Theories |
| 11-12 |
Coffee, discussions |
|
| 12-13 | Masanes | Quantum theory from four requirements |
| 13-15 |
Lunch, discussions |
|
| 15-16 | Muller | On properties of measurements in probabilistic theories and axioms for quantum theory |
|
Wednesday 9 June |
||
| 10-11 | Brunner | Guess your neighbour's input:a multipartite non-local game with no quantum advantage |
| 11-12 |
Coffee, discussions |
|
| 12-13 | Pawlowski | Different notions of no-signalling |
| 13-15 |
Lunch, discussions |
|
| 15-16 |
Short |
Entropy in general physical theories |
| 16-16.30 |
Gross |
All reversible dynamics in maximally non-local theories are trivial |
|
Thursday 10 June |
||
|
10-11 |
Colbeck |
Quantum theory cannot be extended |
| 11-12 |
Coffee, discussions |
|
| 12-13 | Spekkens | A framework for quantum and classical Bayesian inference |
| 13-14.15 |
Lunch, discussions |
|
| 14.15-15.00 |
Barrett |
Informal talk/discussion: Thermodynamics in General Theories. |
| 15-16 | Oppenheim |
If quantum mechanics were more non-local it would violate the
uncertainty principle |
|
16.50 onwards |
Walk+Workshop Dinner |
Restaurant Felsenegg |
|
Friday 11 June |
||
|
10-11 |
Schack |
A QBist Route to Quantum State Space |
| 11-12 |
Coffee, discussions |
|
| 12-13 |
Fuchs |
Some Properties of QBist State Spaces, whichever Ones Ruediger Schack Does Not Cover |
| 13-15 |
Lunch, discussions |
|
| 15-16 |
Chiribella |
Purity and reversibility as a paradigm for Quantum Information Processing |
| 16-16.30 |
Son |
Positive phase space transformation incompatible with classical physics |
Posters
Amplification of non-signaling secrecy
Hänggi, Renner and Wolf
How non-local are n noisy Popescu-Rohrlich machines?
Fitzi, Hänggi, Scarani and Wolf
Local limits on nonlocal correlations
Janotta
Indeterminism and Decoherence in Standard Quantum Theory
Schilling, Fröhlich, and Pickl
Background
The workshop was similar to one we organized here in 2008: Information Primitives and Laws of Nature. That workshop in turn was a follow-up to the Foils workshop in Cambridge in 2007 organized by Barrett, Short and Spekkens.