Rethinking Causality in Quantum Mechanics

£89.50

Rethinking Causality in Quantum Mechanics

Philosophy of science Physics Quantum physics (quantum mechanics and quantum field theory) Mathematical theory of computation

Author: Christina Giarmatzi

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Collection: Springer Theses

Language: English

Published by: Springer

Published on: 21st October 2019

Format: LCP-protected ePub

Size: 8 Mb

ISBN: 9783030319304


Causality in Quantum Physics

Causality is central to understanding the mechanisms of nature: some event "A" is the cause of another event "B". Surprisingly, causality does not follow this simple rule in quantum physics: due to quantum superposition we might be led to believe that "A causes B" and that "B causes A". This idea is not only important to the foundations of physics but also leads to practical advantages: a quantum circuit with such indefinite causality performs computationally better than one with definite causality. This thesis provides one of the first comprehensive introductions to quantum causality, and presents a number of advances. It provides an extension and generalization of a framework that enables us to study causality within quantum mechanics, thereby setting the stage for the rest of the work. This comprises: mathematical tools to define causality in terms of probabilities; computational tools to prove indefinite causality in an experiment; means to experimentally test particular causal structures; and finally an algorithm that detects the exact causal structure in a quantum experiment.

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