Logical Aspects of Quantum Structures

Simon Kochen, Ernst P. Specker

Domenech, G, Freytes, H

We apply residuated structures associated with fuzzy logic to develop certain aspects of information processing in quantum computing from a logical perspective. For this purpose, we introduce an axiomatic system whose natural interpretation is the irreversible quantum Poincare structure.

Enrico G. Beltrametti, Gianni Cassinelli

Décio Krause, Hércules de Araújo Feitosa

Quasi-set theory was proposed as a mathematical context to investigate collections of indistinguishable objects. After presenting an outline of this theory, we define an algebra that has most of the standard properties of an orthocomplete orthomodular lattice, which is the lattice of the closed subspaces of a Hilbert space. We call the mathematical structure so obtained $\mathfrak{I}$-lattice. After discussing, in a preliminary form, some aspects of such a structure, we indicate the next problem of axiomatizing the corresponding logic, that is, a logic which has $\mathfrak{I}$-lattices as its algebraic models. We suggest that the intuitions that the `logic of quantum mechanics' would be not classical logic (with its Boolean algebra), is consonant with the idea of considering indistinguishability right from the start, that is, as a primitive concept. In other words, indiscernibility seems to lead `directly' to $\mathfrak{I}$-lattices. In the first sections, we present the main motivations and a `classical' situation which mirrors that one we focus on the last part of the paper. This paper is our first study of the algebraic structure of indiscernibility within quasi-set theory.

Gottfried T. R�ttimann

Howard Barnum

Quantum information and computation may serve as a source of useful axioms and ideas for the quantum logic/quantum structures project of characterizing and classifying types of physical theories, including quantum mechanics and classical mechanics. The axiomatic approach of quantum structures may help isolate what aspects of quantum mechanics are responsible for what aspects of its greater-than-classical information processing power, and whether more general physical theories may escape some common limitations of classical and quantum theories. Also, by by helping us understand how existing quantum algorithms work, quantum structures analyses may suggest new quantum protocols exploiting general features of quantum mechanics. I stress the importance, for these matters, of understanding open and closed-system dynamics, and the structure of composite systems in general frameworks for operational theories, such as effect algebras, convex sets, and related structures.