Recent developments in quantum computing have revived interest in the notion of information as a foundational principle in physics. It has been suggested that information provides a means of interpreting quantum theory and a means of understanding the role of entropy in thermodynamics. The thesis presents a critical examination of these ideas, and contrasts the use of Shannon information with the concept of 'active information' introduced by Bohm and Hiley. We look at certain thought experiments based upon the 'delayed choice' and 'quantum eraser' interference experiments, which present a complementarity between information gathered from a quantum measurement and interference effects. It has been argued that these experiments show the Bohm interpretation of quantum theory is untenable. We demonstrate that these experiments depend critically upon the assumption that a quantum optics device can operate as a measuring device, and show that, in the context of these experiments, it cannot be consistently understood in this way. By contrast, we then show how the notion of 'active information' in the Bohm interpretation provides a coherent explanation of the phenomena shown in these experiments. We then examine the relationship between information and entropy. The thought experiment connecting these two quantities is the Szilard Engine version of Maxwell's Demon, and it has been suggested that quantum measurement plays a key role in this. We provide the first complete description of the operation of the Szilard Engine as a quantum system. This enables us to demonstrate that the role of quantum measurement suggested is incorrect, and further, that the use of information theory to resolve Szilard's paradox is both unnecessary and insufficient. Finally we show that, if the concept of 'active information' is extended to cover thermal density matrices, then many of the conceptual problems raised by this paradox appear to be resolved.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:268835 |
| Date | January 2002 |
| Creators | Maroney, Owen Jack Ernest |
| Publisher | Birkbeck (University of London) |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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