Entanglement, Information, and the Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (The Frontiers Collection)

Entanglement was initially thought by some to be an oddity restricted to the realm of thought experiments. However, Bell’s inequality delimiting local - havior and the experimental demonstration of its violation more than 25 years ago made it entirely clear that non-local properties of pure quantum states are more than an intellectual curiosity. Entanglement and non-locality are now understood to ?gure prominently in the microphysical world, a realm into which technology is rapidly hurtling. Information theory is also increasingly recognized by physicists and philosophers as intimately related to the foun- tions of mechanics. The clearest indicator of this relationship is that between quantum information and entanglement. To some degree, a deep relationship between information and mechanics in the quantum context was already there to be seen upon the introduction by Max Born and Wolfgang Pauli of the idea that the essence of pure quantum states lies in their provision of probabilities regarding the behavior of quantum systems, via what has come to be known as the Born rule. The signi?cance of the relationship between mechanics and information became even clearer with Leo Szilard’s analysis of James Clerk Maxwell’s infamous demon thought experiment. Here, in addition to examining both entanglement and quantum infor- tion and their relationship, I endeavor to critically assess the in?uence of the study of these subjects on the interpretation of quantum theory. Preface 6 Acknowledgments 10 Superposition, Entanglement, and Limits of Local Causality 1 Quantum Interference 2 Quantum Indeterminacy and Uncertainty 6 Quantum States and Entanglement 12 Quantum Entanglement Measures 24 Surprising Implications of Entanglement 27 The EPR Program and Absence of Local Causality 32 Problems with Hidden-Variables Models 37 Bell's Theorem and Independence Conditions 40 Conditions Contradicted by Quantum Mechanics 44 Operations, Communication, and Entanglement 47 Quantum Measurement, Probability, and Logic 1 Logic and Mechanics 7 Probability and Quantum Mechanics 14 The Completeness of Quantum Mechanics 17 Problems with Measurement in Quantum Mechanics 20 Elements of Quantum Measurement Theory 24 Advances in Quantum Measurement Theory 32 Schrödinger's Cat and Wigner's Friend 35 Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics 1 Interpretation and Metaphysics 10 The Basic Interpretation 23 The Copenhagen Interpretation 30 Orthodoxy and Explanation in Quantum Physics 42 The Collapse-Free Approach 45 The Naive Interpretation 71 The Radical Bayesian Interpretation 76 The Process interpretation 85 Interpretational Underdetermination 91 Information and Quantum Mechanics 1 The Theory of Information 6 The Quantum Theory of Information 12 Entropy in Quantum Measurement Theory 21 Quantum Communication and Its Limitations 23 Quantum Information Processing and Speedup 27 Protocols and the Nature of Quantum Information 36 Informational Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics 44 Entanglement `Thermodynamics' 57 Information and Entanglement 60 The Great Arc 67 Appendix 1 Mathematical Elements 1 The Standard Postulates 4 The Dirac Notation 5 The Classification of Entangled States 6 Elements of Traditional and Quantum Logic 9 C*-Algebras 11 References 1 Index 24 This book explores the nature of quantum entanglement and quantum information and their role in the quantum world. Their relations to a number of key experiments and thought experiments in the history of quantum physics are considered, as is a range of interpretations of quantum mechanics that have been put forward as a means of understanding the fundamental nature of microphysics - the traditionally accepted domain of quantum mechanics - and in some cases, the universe as a whole. In this way, the book reveals the deep significance of entanglement and quantum information for our understanding of the physical world. This book is a major accomplishment and invaluable contribution -- Arkady Plotnitsky An encyclopedic treatment of conceptual quantum mechanics as seen from a very up-to-date point of view --Tom Toffoli A mine of ideas for physicists, philosophers, and all intellectuals interested in this scientific revolution -- Giacomo Mauro D'Ariano Gregg Jaeger. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.