PhilSci Archive

Physics Without Physics

D’Ariano, Giacomo Mauro (2017) Physics Without Physics. [Preprint]

[img]
Preview
Text
1701.06309.pdf

Download (3MB) | Preview

Abstract

David Finkelstein was very fond of the new information-theoretic paradigm of physics advocated by John Archibald Wheeler and Richard Feynman. Only recently, however, the paradigm has concretely shown its full power, with the derivation of quantum theory (Chiribella et al., Phys. Rev. A 84:012311, 2011; D'Ariano et al., 2017) and of free quantum field theory (D'Ariano and Perinotti, Phys. Rev. A 90:062106, 2014; Bisio et al., Phys. Rev. A 88:032301, 2013; Bisio et al., Ann. Phys. 354:244, 2015; Bisio et al., Ann. Phys. 368:177, 2016) from informational principles. The paradigm has opened for the first time the possibility of avoiding physical primitives in the axioms of the physical theory, allowing a refoundation of the whole physics over logically solid grounds. In addition to such methodological value, the new information-theoretic derivation of quantum field theory is particularly interesting for establishing a theoretical framework for quantum gravity, with the idea of obtaining gravity itself as emergent from the quantum information processing, as also suggested by the role played by information in the holographic principle (Susskind, J. Math. Phys. 36:6377, 1995; Bousso, Rev. Mod. Phys. 74:825, 2002). In this paper I review how free quantum field theory is derived without using mechanical primitives, including space-time, special relativity, Hamiltonians, and quantization rules. The theory is simply provided by the simplest quantum algorithm encompassing a countable set of quantum systems whose network of interactions satisfies the three following simple principles: homogeneity, locality, and isotropy. The inherent discrete nature of the informational derivation leads to an extension of quantum field theory in terms of a quantum cellular automata and quantum walks. A simple heuristic argument sets the scale to the Planck one, and the observed regime is that of small wavevectors ...


Export/Citation: EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL
Social Networking:
Share |

Item Type: Preprint
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
D’Ariano, Giacomo Maurodariano@unipv.it0000-0003-0602-5519
Keywords: Quantum fields axiomatics, Quantum Automata, Quantum Walks, Planck scale
Subjects: General Issues > Philosophers of Science
Specific Sciences > Physics
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory
Depositing User: Prof. Giacomo Mauro D'Ariano
Date Deposited: 07 May 2018 14:12
Last Modified: 07 May 2018 14:12
Item ID: 14651
Journal or Publication Title: International Journal of Theoretical Physics
Official URL: http://doi.org/10.1007/s10773-016-3172-y
DOI or Unique Handle: 10.1007/s10773-016-3172-y
Subjects: General Issues > Philosophers of Science
Specific Sciences > Physics
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory
Date: 23 January 2017
Page Range: pp. 97-128
Volume: 56
Number: 1
ISSN: 0020-7748
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/14651

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics

Altmetric.com

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item