文档介绍：arXiv:quant-ph/0412063 v1 8 Dec 2004
unu nomto hoyand Theory Information Quantum
hsssbitdfrtedge fDco fPhilosophy of Doctor of degree the for submitted thesis A
h onain fQuantum of Foundations The
hitpe odnTimpson Gordon Christopher
h ue’ College Queen’s The
tteUiest fOxford of University the at
file://C:\WINDOWS\Desktop\webpage\
Mechanics
rnt em2004 Term Trinity
Quantum Information Theory and the Foundations of
Quantum Mechanics
Christopher Gordon Timpson, The Queen’s College
Oxford University, Trinity Term 2004
Abstract of Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of
Philosophy
This thesis is a contribution to the debate on the implications of quantum information
theory for the foundational problems of quantum mechanics.
In Part I an attempt is made to shed some light on the nature of information and
quantum information theory. It is emphasized that the everyday notion of information
is to be firmly distinguished from the technical notions arising in information theory;
however it is maintained that in both settings ‘information’ functions as an abstract
noun, hence does not refer to a particular or substance. The popular claim ‘Information
is Physical’ is assessed and it is argued that this proposition faces a destructive dilemma.
Accordingly, the slogan may not be understood as an ontological claim, but at best, as
a methodological one. A novel argument is provided against Dretske’s (1981) attempt
to base a semantic notion of information on ideas from information theory.
The function of various measures of information content for quantum systems is ex-
plored and the applicability of the Shannon information in the quantum context main-
tained against the challenge of Brukner and Zeilinger (2001). The phenomenon of quan-
tum teleportation is then explored as a case study serving to emphasize the value of
recognising the logical status of ‘information’ as an abstract noun: it is argued that the
conceptual pu