Physics, Topology, Logic and Computation: A Rosetta Stone

string theory, topological quantum field theory, Feynman diagram, compact symmetric monoidal categories, closed symmetric monoidal categories, loop quantum gravity, linear logic, lambda calculus, linear type theory, quantum Hall effect

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Quantum computation (81P68) General and philosophical questions in quantum theory (81P05) Quantum information, communication, networks (quantum-theoretic aspects) (81P45) Topological field theories in quantum mechanics (81T45) Categorical logic, topoi (03G30) Closed categories (closed monoidal and Cartesian closed categories, etc.) (18D15)

Abstract: In physics, Feynman diagrams are used to reason about quantum processes. In the 1980s, it became clear that underlying these diagrams is a powerful analogy between quantum physics and topology: namely, a linear operator behaves very much like a "cobordism". Similar diagrams can be used to reason about logic, where they represent proofs, and computation, where they represent programs. With the rise of interest in quantum cryptography and quantum computation, it became clear that there is extensive network of analogies between physics, topology, logic and computation. In this expository paper, we make some of these analogies precise using the concept of "closed symmetric monoidal category". We assume no prior knowledge of category theory, proof theory or computer science.

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