Information & Physics Seminar - FS26, USI

Course information



Time Room Professor

Wed 15.30-17.00 D0.02 → Stefan Wolf

Subject of this seminar

In this seminar, topics related to quantum information science, the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, information theory and cryptography will be available (3 ECTS → Course Catalogue for more information). An overview on the different topics will be given and papers will be assigned to the students.

For questions please contact William Schober or Stefan Wolf.

Preliminary list of papers

A: Science as a Human Endeavour

Papers Date and speakers
[1]
The human condition, H. Arendt (1998) PDF
[2]
The genesis and development of a scientific fact, L. Fleck (1979) PDF
[3]
Nepotism and sexism in peer-review, C. Wenneras, A. Wold (1997) PDF
The academic manifesto: From an occupied to a public university, W. Halffman, H. Radder (2015) PDF
4 March: Francesca Fusco
[4]
Rationalism, relativism, and the scientific method, P. Feyerabend (1981) PDF
How to defend society against science, P. Feyerabend (1975) PDF
Erkenntnis für freie Menschen, P. Feyerabend (1980)
4 March: Francesca Pjetri
[5]
The quest for certainty, J. Dewey (1929)
4 March: Siebren Telkamp
[6]
Sinnliche Elemente und naturwissenschaftliche Begriffe, E. Mach (1910)
[7]
Penser dans un monde mauvais, G. de Lagasnerie (2017)
[8]
How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival, D. Kaiser (2011)

B: The Physical Nature of Information

Papers Date and speakers
[9]
The work value of information, O. Dahlsten, R. Renner, E. Rieper, V. Vedral (2009) PDF
Demonic heat engines, B. W. Schumacher (1994) PDF
11 March: Dilan Can
[10]
Work recoverable from two-particle information, L. B. Levitin, T. Toffoli (2012) PDF
[11]
Simulating physics with computers, R. Feynman (1982) PDF
11 March: Raphael Brunold
[12]
The physical nature of information, R. Landauer (1996) PDF
Irreversibility and heat generation in the Computing Process, R. Landauer (1961) PDF
11 March: Melanie Tonarelli
[13]
Information, physics, quantum: The search for links, J. A. Wheeler (1990) PDF
18 March: Lovnesh Bhardwaj
[14]
Quantum gloves: Physics and information, N. Gisin (2004) PDF
18 March: Aman Chauhan
[15]
Thermodynamics of computation, C. Bennett (1980) PDF
18 March: Esayas Teklay
[16]
A friendly guide to exorcising Maxwell's demon, A. O. Junior, J. B. Brask, R. Chaves (2025) PDF
18 March: Vishal Rakhecha
[17]
Reversible computing, T. Toffoli (1980) PDF
Conservative logic, E. Fredkin, T. Toffoli (1982) PDF
[18]
NP-complete problems and physical reality, S. Aaronson (2005) PDF
25 March: Carlo Fiammenghi
[19]
Three approaches to the quantitative definition of information, A. N. Kolmogorov (1965) PDF
[20]
Could the physical world be emergent instead of fundamental, and why should we ask?, M. Mueller (2017) PDF
25 March: Jacob Lanzi
[21]
Active P-Colonies, M. Scarpone, G. Molteni, A. Leporati, C. Zandron (2021) PDF
[22]
The Brain: The Story of You, David Eagleman (2015)
22 April: Roberto Ibanez
[23]
Quantum machine learning: a classical perspective, C. Ciliberto, M. Herbster, A. D. Ialongo, M. Pontil, A. Rocchetto, S. Severini and L. Wossnig (2018) PDF
[x]
Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, L. Wittgenstein (1921)
25 March: Ali Al Housseini
[24]
Hacking the Simulation: From the Red Pill to the Red Team, R. V. Yampolskiy (2022) PDF
1 April: Mehmet Fatih Tekin and Bibi Arezo Massum

C: The Arrow of Time and Causality

Papers Date and speakers
[25]
The end of time, J. B. Barbour (1999)
The emergence of time and its arrow from timelessness, J. B. Barbour (1994) PDF
1 April: Dominik Pansarella
[26]
The direction of time, H.Reichenbach (1971)
[27]
Complexity in the universe, C. H. Bennett (1994) PDF
[28]
"Time" replaced by quantum correlations, W. K. Wootters (1984) PDF
[29]
Autonomous quantum clocks: does thermodynamics limit our ability to measure time?, P. Erker, M. T. Mitchison, R. Silva, M. P. Woods, N. Brunner, M. Huber (2017) PDF
[30]
Is time asymmetry logically prior to quantum mechanics?, W. K. Wootters (1994) PDF
[31]
Evolution und Entropiewachstum, C. F. von Weizsäcker (1972) PDF
[32]
Dokumente, C. F. von Weizsäcker (1986)
[33]
The ghost in the quantum Turing machine, S. Aaronson (2013) PDF
[34]
On the notion of cause, with application to the free-will problem, B. Russell (1935) PDF
15 April: Alessia Berarducci
[35]
Kausalität in der Physik, G. Hermann (1935) PDF
15 April: Eduardas Lazebnyj
[36]
Quantum correlations with no causal order, O. Oreshkov, F. Costa, C. Brukner (2012) PDF
[37]
Causality - complexity - consistency: Can space-time be based on logic and computation?, Ä. Baumeler, S. Wolf (2016) PDF
[38]
Enhanced Communication With the Assistance of Indefinite Causal Order, D. Ebler, S. Salek, G. Chiribella (2017) PDF

D: Information and Quantum Physics

Papers Date and speakers
[39]
Can quantum mechanical description of physical reality be considered complete?, A. Einstein, B. Podolsky, N. Rosen (1935) PDF
[40]
On the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox, J. S. Bell (1964) PDF
15 April: Mariia Dubnytska
[41]
The two Bell's theorems of John Bell, H. M. Wiseman (2014) PDF
Hidden variables and the two theorems of John Bell, N. D. Mermin (1993) PDF
22 April: Giovanni Rizzotto
[42]
Nonlocality for two particles without inequalities for almost all entangled states, L. Hardy (1993) PDF
A unified view on Hardy's paradox and the CHSH inequality, L. Mancinska, S. Wehner (2014) PDF
[43]
Bertlmann's socks and the nature of reality, J. S. Bell (1981) PDF
[44]
Loopholes in Bell inequality tests of local realism, J.-A. Larsson (2014) PDF
[45]
Die Logik nicht gleichzeitig entscheidbarer Aussagen, E. Specker (1960) PDF
Specker's parable of the over-protective seer: A road to contextuality, nonlocality and complementarity, Y.-C. Liang, R. W. Spekkens, H. M. Wiseman (2011) PDF
[46]
The problem of hidden variables in quantum mechanics, S. Kochen, E. P. Specker (1967) PDF
Bell-Kochen-Specker theorem: A proof with 18 vectors, A. Cabello, J. M. Estebaranz, G. G. Alcaine (1996) PDF
15 April: Gabriele Marchi
[47]
What does an experimental test of quantum contextually prove or disprove?, A. Winter (2014) PDF
[48]
Cost of exactly simulating quantum entanglement with classical communication, B. Brassard, R. Cleve, A. Tapp (1999) PDF
Communication cost of simulating Bell correlations, D. Bacon, B. Toner (2003) PDF
[49]
Quantum pseudo-telepathy and the Kochen-Specker theorem, R. Renner, S. Wolf (2004) PDF
[50]
No quantum advantage for nonlocal computation, N. Linden, S. Popescu, A. J. Short, A. Winter (2006) PDF
[51]
Information causality as a physical principle, M. Pawlowski, T. Paterek, D. Kaszlikowski, V. Scarani, A. Winter, M. Zukowski (2009) PDF
A limit on nonlocality in any world in which communication complexity is not trivial, G. Brassard, H. Buhrman, N. Linden, A. Methot, A. Tapp, F. Unger (2005) PDF
22 April: Onorato Lee Johnson
[52]
A glance beyond the quantum model, M. Navascues, H. Wunderlich (2009) PDF
PR-Box correlations have no classical limit, D. Rohrlich (2014) PDF
Quantum measurement of spins and magnets, and the classical limit of PR-boxes, N. Gisin (2014) PDF
[x]
The vast world of quantum advantage, H. Huang, S. Choi, J. McClean, J. Preskill (2025) PDF
29 April: Ferdinando Giordano and Gianluca Viviano
[53]
The prospects of quantum computing in computational molecular biology, C. Outeiral, M. Strahm, J. Shi, G. M. Morris, S. C. Benjamin, C. M. Deane (2020) PDF
29 April: Sidharth Padmanabhan
[54]
An introduction to quantum game theory, A. Flitney, D. Abbott (2002) PDF
Quantum Games and Quantum Strategies, J. Eisert, M. Wilkens, M. Lewenstein (1998) PDF
6 May: Luigi Marmolaro and Francesca Cereda
[x]
A Wavefunction Collapse Algorithm for Bitmap Generation, Maxim Gumin (2022) PDF
6 May: Simone Lesinigo

E: Quantum Cryptography

Papers Date and speakers
[55]
Quantum cryptography: Public key distribution and coin tossing, C. H. Bennett, G. Brassard (1984) PDF
Quantum cryptography based on Bell's theorem, A. Ekert (1991) PDF
13 May: Sasha Toscano and Matteo Ghilardini
[56]
No signaling and quantum key distribution, J. Barrett, L. Hardy, A. Kent (2005) PDF
[57]
The black paper of quantum cryptography: Real implementation problems, V. Scarani, C. Kurtsiefer (2009) PDF
13 May: Andrea Perugini
[58]
Unconditionally secure bit commitment, A. Kent (1998) PDF
[59]
Unconditionally secure quantum bit commitment is impossible, D. Mayers (1996) PDF
Is Quantum Bit Commitment Really Possible?, H.-K. Lo, H. F. Chau (1996) PDF
[60]
Free randomness can be amplified, R. Colbeck, R. Renner (2012) PDF
[61]
Random numbers certified by Bell's theorem, S. Pironio, A. Acin, S. Massar, A. Boyer de la Giroday, D. N. Matsukevich, P. Maunz, S. Olmschenk, D. Hayes, L. Luo, T. A. Manning, C. Monroe (2009) PDF
[62]
Key Agreement and Oblivious Transfer from Free-Energy Limitations, X. Coiteux-Roy, S. Wolf (2022) PDF
20 May: Mehmet Bayazit

F: Interpretations of Quantum Physics

Papers Date and speakers
[x]
Quantum Physics, the Identity of Indiscernibles, and Some Unanswered Questions, P. Teller (1983) PDF
20 May: Fernando Hurtado-Chaurand
[63]
“Relative state” formulation of quantum mechanics, H. Everett (1957) PDF
[64]
The emergent multiverse, D. Wallace (2012)
[65]
Can free will emerge from determinism in quantum theory?, G. Brassard, P. Raymond-Robichaud (2012) PDF
20 May: Mykhailo Taranik
[66]
A suggested interpretation of the quantum theory in terms of "hidden" variables, D. Bohm (1952) PDF
[67]
A tripartite quantum state violating the hidden influence constraints, T. J. Barnea, J.-D. Bancal, Y.-C. Liang, N. Gisin (2013) PDF
Non-locality is transitive, S. Coretti, E. Hänggi, S. Wolf (2011) PDF
[68]
Copenhagen computation: How I learned to stop worrying and love Bohr, N. D. Mermin (2003) PDF
[69]
On nonlocality as a resource theory and nonlocality measures, J. de Vicente (2014) PDF
[70]
La nouvelle cuisine, J. S. Bell (1990) PDF
[71]
Six possible worlds of quantum mechanics, J. S. Bell (1986) PDF
[72]
Against 'measurement', J. S. Bell (1989) PDF
[73]
Einstein, incompleteness, and the epistemic view of quantum states, N. Harrigan, R. W. Spekkens (2007) PDF
[74]
On the reality of the quantum state, M. F. Pusey, J. Barrett, T. Rudolph (2012) PDF
Is a system's wave function in one-to-one correspondence with its elements of reality?, R. Colbeck, R. Renner (2012) PDF
[75]
In defense of the epistemic view of quantum states: A toy theory, R. Spekkens (2004) PDF
[76]
Physics Without Physics: The Power of Information-theoretical Principles, G. M. D'Ariano (2017) PDF
[77]
Three measurement problems, T. Maudlin (1995) PDF
27 May: Arkadiusz Synowczyk
[78]
Algorithmic Pseudorandomness in Quantum Setups, A. Bendersky, G. de la Torre, G. Senno, S. Figueira, A. Acín (2016) PDF
[79]
One world versus many: The inadequacy of Everettian accounts of evolution, probability, and scientific confirmation, A. Kent (2009) PDF
[80]
The interpretation of quantum mechanics: Many worlds or many words?, M. Tegmark (1997) PDF
[81]
The fabric of reality, D. Deutsch (1997)
[82]
The cellular automaton interpretation of quantum mechanics, G. 't Hooft (2014) PDF
[83]
The Foundations of Quantum Mechanics in the Philosophy of Nature, G. Hermann (1935) PDF
Die Naturphilosophischen Grundlagen der Quantenmechanik, G. Hermann (1935) PDF
[84]
Indeterminism in quantum physics and classical physics, K. Popper (1950) PDF
[85]
Is quantum theory universally valid?, A. Peres, W.H.Zurek (1983) PDF
[86]
The impossibility of accurate self-measurements, T. Breuer (1995) PDF
[87]
Minipaper: Probability in wave mechanics, H. Everett (1995) PDF
[88]
Quantum mechanics and reality, B. DeWitt (1970) PDF
[89]
QBism, the perimeter of quantum Bayesianism, C. Fuchs (2010) PDF
[90]
Towards a proper quantum theory, J. Levy-Leblond (1976) PDF
[91]
Consciousness and the Collapse of the Wave Function, D. Chalmers, K. McQueen (2021) PDF
27 May: Davide Gamba
[x]
The World as Collapse and Representation, A. Schopenhauer via P. Entin (1818)
27 May: Phillip Entin

* hardcopy available on demand.