How quantum mechanics helps us understand classical mechanics

П. Парадоксов

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.

Vehbi Emrah Paksoy

What is the common thing between some integers and symmetries of an equilateral triangle? How studying rotations on a circle helps us understand quantum mechanics? Groups and their representations provide an amazing framework for many physics and chemistry theories. Understanding how certain groups act on physical systems, both classical and quantum, helps us to build models and make predictions. In this talk, we discover how abstract mathematical notions such as groups and representation theory and counterintuitive nature of quantum mechanics come together to guide us in our journey to explore the world we live in. This talk is designed to be accessible to any person with some understanding of calculus and a little bit of linear algebra.

Jaroslav Zamastil

Patrick A. Heelan

Mark M. Wilde

For Students Prerequisites for understanding the content in this book are a solid background in probability theory and linear algebra. If you are new to information theory, then there is enough background in this book to get you up to speed (Chapters 2, 10, 12,and 13). Though, classics on information theory such as Cover and Thomas (1991) and MacKay (2003) could be helpful as a reference. If you are new to quantum mechanics, then there should be enough material in this book (Part II) to give you the background necessary for understanding quantum Shannon theory. The book of Nielsen and Chuang (sometimes known as “Mike and Ike”) has become the standard starting point for students in quantum information science and might be helpful as well (Nielsen & Chuang, 2000). Some of the content in that book is available in Nielsen's dissertation (Nielsen, 1998). If you are familiar with Shannon's information theory (at the level of Cover and Thomas (1991), for example), then this book should be a helpful entry point into the field of quantum Shannon theory. We build on intuition developed classically to help in establishing schemes for communication over quantum channels. If you are familiar with quantum mechanics, it might still be worthwhile to review Part II because some content there might not be part of a standard course on quantum mechanics.