Information & Physics

Descrizione According to the physicist Rolf Landauer, "information is physical." Starting from this insight, we explore topics at the intersection of physics (thermodynamics, quantum theory, relativity) and information (cryptography, Shannon theory, correlations). Examples of subjects are the second law of thermodynamics, the arrow of time, the evolution of life and the second law; quantum non-local correlations, causality, the measurement problem and interpretations of quantum theory (collapse models vs. deterministic models such as many-worlds) and the possibility of experimental tests; the relevance of physics for logic, computation, and cryptography, quantum logic, reversible computing; randomness and the emergence of spacetime from information principles. After an introductory part by the teacher, the course is carried out as a seminar, where each participant presents a research paper in a talk. No particular background knowledge is required.