Quantum Gravity Computers: On the Theory of Computation with Indefinite Causal Structure

DOI10.1007/978-1-4020-9107-0_21zbMATH Open1166.81010arXivquant-ph/0701019OpenAlexW1677699058MaRDI QIDQ3627832FDOQ3627832

Authors: Lucien Hardy 

Publication date: 13 May 2009

Published in: The Western Ontario Series in Philosophy of Science (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: A quantum gravity computer is one for which the particular effects of quantum gravity are relevant. In general relativity, causal structure is non-fixed. In quantum theory non-fixed quantities are subject to quantum uncertainty. It is therefore likely that, in a theory of quantum gravity, we will have indefinite causal structure. This means that there will be no matter of fact as to whether a particular interval is timelike or not. We study the implications of this for the theory of computation. Classical and quantum computations consist in ivolving the state of the computer through a sequence of time steps. This will, most likely, not be possible for a quantum gravity computer because the notion of a time step makes no sense if we have indefinite causal structure. We show that it is possible to set up a model for computation even in the absence of definite causal structure by using a certain framework (the causaloid formalism) that was developed for the purpose of correlating data taken in this type of situation. Corresponding to a physical theory is a causaloid, Lambda (this is a mathematical object containing information about the causal connections between different spacetime regions). A computer is given by the pair {Lambda, S} where S is a set of gates. Working within the causaloid formalism, we explore the question of whether universal quantum gravity computers are possible. We also examine whether a quantum gravity computer might be more powerful than a quantum (or classical) computer. In particular, we ask whether indefinite causal structure can be used as a computational resource.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0701019

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Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Quantum computation (81P68) Einstein's equations (general structure, canonical formalism, Cauchy problems) (83C05) Methods of quantum field theory in general relativity and gravitational theory (83C47)

Cited In (11)

• Towards quantum gravity: a framework for probabilistic theories with non-fixed causal structure
• The computing spacetime
• Quantum computation toward quantum gravity
• Analysing causal structures with entropy
• Constraints on physical computers in holographic spacetimes
• Causal and causally separable processes
• Quantum theory, namely the pure and reversible theory of information
• Implementation of the quantum equivalence principle
• Indefinite causal order aids quantum depolarizing channel identification
• Optimal quantum networks and one-shot entropies
• The space of logically consistent classical processes without causal order

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