OVERVIEW |
THE GROUP |
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The Causal Power of Information in a Quantum World is a three-year research project in physics and philosophy at the University of Queensland, funded by the Templeton World Charity. The project investigates the theses that physically embodied information acquires causal power in the effective operation of intelligent agents, either natural or artificial, and that new kinds of causal relations will naturally arise when information and control is embodied in quantum systems. We aim to provide new conceptual and mathematical insights into the quantum world and furthermore enable the experimental design of new and more powerful kinds of control systems.
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PhD Students
Christina Giarmatzi Sally Shrapnel |
PHILOSOPHY |
THEORETICAL PHYSICS |
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Led by Phil Dowe, the philosophical component of the project explores the extent to which the view that information has causal power can be defended generally and in quantum physics. Our investigation concerns interventionist, counterfactual and transfer theories of causation, with two main aims: (1) understanding how information, including quantum information, fits into the metaphysics of causation; (2) understanding causation in quantum mechanics from the perspective of the alternative theories of causation.
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A fundamental problem of causation is how to distinguish cause and effect from mere statistical correlation. Quantum information science grew from the realization that quantum correlations (entanglement) were not merely puzzling from a classical point of view, but enable new communication and computation tasks. Led by Gerard Milburn, the key question of the theoretical investigation is to understand causation in the context of the quantum correlations exploited in quantum information.
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EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS
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Led by Andrew White, the aim of the experimental component of the project is to
provide an empirical basis for establishing the causal power of (quantum)
information. Specifically, we aim to develop and demonstrate building blocks of
classical- and quantum-intelligent agents, and experimental tests of the
causal structure of reality, as defined in the theory component.
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