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The foundations of quantum mechanics have been revitalized in the past few decades by three developments: (i) the influence of quantum computation and quantum information theory (ii) studies of the interplay between quantum theory and relativity particularly the analysis of indefinite causal structure and (iii) proposals to reconstruct quantum theory from basic axioms. There have also been very interesting developments in understanding and classifying no=locality and contextuality using tools from sheaf theory and cohomology as well as operator algebras and category theory.
The International Congress of Mathematical Physics is a natural forum for the discussion of these topics. In the past there have been satellite workshops on topics like “Operator algebras and quantum statistical mechanics” which also address fundamental issues. The modern study of quantum foundations is very much influenced and informed by mathematics: sheaf theory and cohomology, category theory, information theory, convex analysis in addition to the continuing interest in operator algebras and functional analysis.
The aim of the workshop is to bring together researchers who have made substantial contribution to the recent developments. The workshop will be held at Perimeter Institute over a five day period from July 30th to August 3rd, 2018.
Registration for this event is now closed.
- Jonathan Barrett, University of Oxford
- Bob Coecke, University of Oxford
- Bianca Dittrich, Perimeter Institute
- Tobias Fritz, Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences
- Philipp Hoehn, Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information
- Adrian Kent, University of Cambridge
- Matthew Leifer, Chapman University
- Yeong-Cherng Liang, National Cheng Kung University
- Nuriya Nurgalieva, ETH Zurich
- Robert Oeckl, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
- Ognyan Oreshkov, Universite Libre de Bruxelles
- Paolo Perinotti, Universita degli Studi di Pavia
- Ana Belen Sainz, Perimeter Institute
- Lev Vaidman, Tel Aviv University
- Dominic Verdon, University of Oxford
- Alexander Wilce, Susquehanna University
- Aida Ahmadzadegan, University of Waterloo & Perimeter Institute
- Philippe Allard Guerin, University of Vienna
- Joseph Bramante, Queens University & Perimeter Institute
- Peter Bruza, Queensland Universityof Technology
- Justin Dressel, Chapman University
- Nicholas Gauguin Houghton-Larsen, University of Copenhagen
- Jose Raul Gonzalez Alonso, Chapman University
- Sasha Greenfield, Chapman University
- Aaron Grisez, Chapman University
- Meenu Kumari, University of Waterloo
- Marco Letizia, University of Waterloo & Perimeter Institute
- Robin Lorenz, University of Oxford
- Robert Mann, University of Waterloo & Perimeter Institute
- Martin Plavala, Slovak Academy of Sciences
- Sacha Schwarz, University of Waterloo
- Andrei Shieber, Perimeter Institute
- Barak Shoshany, Perimeter Institute
- Jamie Sikora, Perimeter Institute
- Michel Vittot, Centre de Physique Theorique
- Mordecai Waegell, Chapman University
- Scott Walck, Lebanon Valley College
- Peter Wittek, University of Toronto
- Michelle Xu, Perimeter Institute
Monday, July 30, 2018
Time |
Event |
Location |
9:15 – 9:45am |
Registration |
Reception |
9:45 – 10:00am |
Lucien Hardy, Perimeter Institute |
Bob Room |
10:00 – 11:00am |
Jonathan Barrett, University of Oxford |
Bob Room |
11:00 – 11:30pm |
Coffee Break |
Bistro – 1st Floor |
11:30 – 12:30pm |
Paolo Perinotti, Universita degli Studi di Pavia |
Bob Room |
12:30 – 2:30pm |
Lunch |
Bistro – 2nd Floor |
2:30 – 3:30pm |
Robert Oeckl, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México |
Bob Room |
3:30 – 4:00pm |
Coffee Break |
Bistro – 1st Floor |
4:00 – 5:00 pm |
Tobias Fritz, Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences |
Bob Room |
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Time |
Event |
Location |
10:00 - 11:00am | Ana Belen Sainz, Perimeter Institute Almost quantum correlations violate the no-restriction hypothesis |
Bob room |
11:00 – 11:10am |
Conference Photo |
TBA |
11:10 – 11:30pm |
Coffee Break |
Bistro – 1st Floor |
11:30 – 12:30pm |
Yeong-Cherng Liang, National Cheng Kung University |
Bob Room |
12:30 – 2:30pm |
Lunch |
Bistro – 2nd Floor |
2:30 – 3:30pm |
Alexander Wilce, Susquehanna University |
Bob Room |
3:30 – 4:00pm |
Coffee Break |
Bistro – 1st Floor |
4:00 – 5:00pm |
Discussion 1 |
Bob Room |
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Time |
Event |
Location |
10:00 – 11:00am |
Philipp Hoehn, Institute for Quantum Optics & Quantum Information |
Bob Room |
11:00 – 11:30pm |
Coffee Break |
Bistro – 1st Floor |
11:30 - 12:30pm | Bianca Dittrich, Perimeter Institute Observables and (no) time in quantum gravity |
Bob Room |
12:30 – 2:30pm |
Lunch |
Bistro – 2nd Floor |
2:30 – 3:30pm |
Matthew Leifer, Chapman University |
Bob Room |
3:30 – 4:00pm |
Coffee Break |
Bistro – 1st Floor |
4:00 – 5:00pm |
Discussion 2 |
Bob Room |
Thursday, August 2, 2018
Time |
Event |
Location |
10:00 – 11:00am |
Dominic Verdon, University of Oxford |
Bob Room |
11:00 – 11:30pm |
Coffee Break |
Bistro – 1st Floor |
11:30 – 12:30pm |
Bob Coecke, University of Oxford |
Bob Room |
12:30 – 2:30pm |
Lunch |
Bistro – 2nd Floor |
2:30 – 3:30pm |
Adrian Kent, University of Cambridge |
Bob Room |
3:30 – 4:00pm |
Coffee Break |
Bistro – 1st Floor |
4:00 – 5:00pm |
Discussion 3 |
Bob Room |
6:00pm onwards |
Banquet |
Bistro – 2nd Floor |
Friday, August 3, 2018
Time |
Event |
Location |
10:00 – 11:00am |
Ognyan Oreshkov, Universite Libre de Bruxelles |
Bob Room |
11:00 – 11:30pm |
Coffee Break |
Bistro – 1st Floor |
11:30 – 12:30pm |
Lev Vaidman, Tel Aviv University |
Bob Room |
12:30 – 2:30pm |
Lunch |
Bistro – 2nd Floor |
2:30 – 3:30pm |
Nuriya Nurgaliva, ETH Zurich |
Bob Room |
Jonathan Barrett, University of Oxford
Quantum causal models
From a brief discussion of how to generalise Reichenbach’s Principle of the Common Cause to the case of quantum systems, I will develop a formalism to describe any set of quantum systems that have specified causal relationships between them. This formalism is the nearest quantum analogue to the classical causal models of Judea Pearl and others. At the heart of the classical formalism lies the idea that facts about causal structure enforce constraints on probability distributions in the form of conditional independences. I will describe a quantum analogue of this idea, which leads to a quantum version of the three rules of Pearl’s do-calculus. If time, I will end with some more speculative remarks concerning the significance of the work for the foundations of quantum theory.
Bob Coecke, University of Oxford
From quantum to cognition in pictures.
Quantum axiomatics à la carte
The past decade or so has produced a handful of derivations, or reconstructions, of finite-dimensional quantum mechanics from various packages of operational and/or information-theoretic principles. I will present a selection of these principles --- including symmetry postulates, dilational assumptions, and versions of Hardy's subspace axiom --- in a common framework, and indicate several ways, some familiar and some new, in which these can be combined to yield either standard complex QM (with or without SSRs) or broader theories embracing formally real Jordan algebras.
A device-independent approach to testing physical theories from finite data
The device-independent approach to physics is one where conclusions are drawn directly and solely from the observed correlations between measurement outcomes. This operational approach to physics arose as a byproduct of Bell's seminal work to distinguish quantum correlations from the set of correlations allowed by locally-causal theories. In practice, since one can only perform a finite number of experimental trials, deciding whether an empirical observation is compatible with some class of physical theories will have to be carried out via the task of hypothesis testing.
Almost quantum correlations violate the no-restriction hypothesis
To identify which principles characterise quantum correlations, it is essential to understand in which sense this set of correlations differs from that of almost quantum correlations. We solve this problem by invoking the so-called no-restriction hypothesis, an explicit and natural axiom in many reconstructions of quantum theory stating that the set of possible measurements is the dual of the set of states.
Towards synthetic Euclidean quantum field theory
In this status report on current work in progress, I will sketch a generalization of the temporal type theory introduced by Schultz and Spivak to a logic of space and spacetime. If one writes down a definition of probability space within this logic, one conjecturally obtains a notion whose semantics is precisely that of a Euclidean quantum field. I will sketch how to use the logic to reason about probabilities of events involving fields, sketch the relation to AQFT, and attempt to formulate the DLR equations within the logic.
Local quantum operations and causality
I give further details on a unification of the foundations of operational quantum theory with those of quantum field theory, coming out of a program that is also known as the positive formalism. I will discuss status and challenges of this program, focusing on the central new concept of local quantum operation. Among the conceptual challenges I want to highlight the question of causality. How do we know that future choices of measurement settings do not influence present measurement results? Should we enforce this, as in the standard formulation of quantum theory?
Infinite composite systems and cellular automata in operational probabilistic theories
Cellular automata are a central notion for the formulation of physical laws in an abstract information-theoretical scenario, and lead in recent years to the reconstruction of free relativistic quantum field theory. In this talk we extend the notion of a Quantum Cellular Automaton to general Operational Probabilistic Theories. For this purpose, we construct infinite composite systems, illustrating the main features of their states, effects and transformations.
Quantum causal models
From a brief discussion of how to generalise Reichenbach’s Principle of the Common Cause to the case of quantum systems, I will develop a formalism to describe any set of quantum systems that have specified causal relationships between them. This formalism is the nearest quantum analogue to the classical causal models of Judea Pearl and others. At the heart of the classical formalism lies the idea that facts about causal structure enforce constraints on probability distributions in the form of conditional independences.
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Pages
Scientific Organizers:
- Lucien Hardy, Perimeter Institute
- Markus Mueller, Perimeter Institute & Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information, Vienna
- Prakash Panangaden, McGill University
- Robert Spekkens, Perimeter Institute
Scientific Organizing Committee:
- Lucien Hardy, Perimeter Institute
- Ravi Kunjwal, Perimeter Institute
- Denis Rosset, Perimeter Institute
- Nitica Sakharwade, Perimeter Institute
- John Selby, Perimeter Institute
- Robert Spekkens, Perimeter Institute
- Elie Wolfe, Perimeter Institute