Mathematical structure of Quantum Theory reconstructed from Information Principle

Source: The post is based on the article “Mathematical structure of Quantum Theory reconstructed from Information Principle” published in the PIB on 29th May 2023

What is the News?

Scientists have found the theoretical rationale of the mathematical structure of composite quantum systems consisting of more than one subsystem.

About Quantum Mechanics theory

Quantum Mechanics theory describes physical phenomena in the microscopic world. It was developed in the early 20th century to explain experimental observations like the Black-body radiation curve, Photoelectric effect when the German physicist Max Planck demonstrated through physical experiments that energy, in certain situations, can exhibit characteristics of physical matter.

Later scientists like Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Louis de Broglie, Erwin Schrodinger, and Paul M. Dirac advanced Plank’s theory to quantum mechanics–the most accurate mathematical theory of the microscopic world.

Further, unlike other physical theories that are built upon physically motivated postulates, Quantum Mechanics starts with abstract mathematical axioms. So, for a better physical understanding, scientists are still pursuing their endeavor to re-derive the mathematical structure of quantum theory, starting with physically motivated postulates.

How did Indian scientists derive the mathematical structure of quantum theory?

Scientists from an autonomous institute of Department of Science and Technology have used a novel information principle, called the principle of Information Causality. By using this, they analysed what kind of descriptions are naturally disallowed for composite quantum systems.

They found that a) Information Causality plays a crucial role in selecting the quantum composition rule among different mathematical possibilities, and b) Information Causality can discard a composition rule that is close to human’s classical worldview in the sense that the resulting theory will allow only classical-like correlations. So, the researchers conclude that Information Causality can help in deriving the mathematical structure of quantum mechanics.