Ulm 2004 – scientific programme

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PV: Plenarvorträge

PV III

PV III: Plenary Talk

Monday, March 15, 2004, 10:00–11:00, H22

Quantum Information and Relativity Theory — •Asher Peres — Dept of Physics, Technion, 32000 Haifa, Israel

Quantum mechanics, information theory, and relativity theory are the basic foundations of theoretical physics. The acquisition of information from a quantum system is the interface of classical and quantum physics. Essential tools for its description are Kraus matrices and positive operator valued measures. Special relativity imposes severe restrictions on the transfer of information between distant systems. Quantum entropy is not a Lorentz covariant concept. Lorentz transformations of reduced density matrices for entangled systems may not be completely positive maps. Quantum field theory, which is necessary for a consistent description of interactions, implies a fundamental trade-off between detector reliability and localizability. General relativity produces new, counter-intuitive effects, in particular when black holes (or more generally, event horizons) are involved. Most of the current concepts in quantum information theory may then require a reassessment.