Some Foundational Issues in Quantum Information Science

*Amitabha Gupta*

## **Abstract**

This chapter has three Parts. Part 1 attempts to analyze the concept "information" (in some selected contexts where it has been used) in order to understand the consequences of representing and processing *information, quantum mechanically*. There are at least three views on 'Information' viz., 'Semantic Naturalism', 'the Quantum Bayesian Approach' and 'Information is Physical' approach. They are then critically examined and at last one is given preference. Part 2 of the chapter then goes on to discuss the manner in which the study and quantification of "*Qubit" (Quantum bit),* Superposition and Entanglement, comprise the three pillars of Quantum Information Science and enable the discipline to develop the theory behind applications of quantum physics to the transmission and processing of information. In Part 3 we take up the issue that although it might appear bewildering, the physical approach to Quantum Information Science is equally proficient in dealing with its impact on the questions of "consciousness," "freewill" and biological questions in the area known as "**bioinformatics."**

**Keywords:** Meaning and Types of Information, The role of 'Qubit', 'Superposition' and 'entanglement' in Quantum Information Science and their applications, microtubules, Orch OR Model, biological theories of mind

## **1. Introduction**

Quantum Information Science addresses the question as to how the fundamental laws of quantum physics can be exploited in order to explain in what way information is acquired, transmitted and processed, by drawing insights from various subfields of physical sciences, computer science, mathematics, and engineering. Quantum Information Science also combines fundamental research with practical applications.

The history of quantum information began at the turn of the 20th century when classical physics was revolutionized into quantum physics. The field of quantum information bloomed two decades ago when scientists realized that quantum physics could be used to transmit and process information in more efficient and secure ways. The development of quantum algorithm and communication protocols as well as the possibilities of implementing them with different systems, has established the field of quantum information science as one of the most promising fields for the 21st century.

The emergence of Information theory as studies of the transmission, processing, extraction, and utilization of information received immediate worldwide attention in the late forties. It was made possible by the publication of Claude E. Shannon's classic paper "A Mathematical Theory of Communication" [1].

Shannon for the first time introduced the qualitative and quantitative models of communication as statistical processes underlying information theory. Thus, Information theory often concerns itself with measures of information distributions and their application.

There is an urgent need to examine the foundational principles of quantum information and quantum physics in order to understand how we can dramatically improve their applications. The relevant utility of quantum computers has led to the possibility of simulating the complex quantum systems that appear in fields, such as condensed matter physics, high energy physics or chemistry. To do this, it is often necessary to build a scalable quantum computer (often called quantum simulators) and not necessarily an analog one. Quantum information science also has strong connections with quantum sensing and metrology, quantum simulation, quantum networks, and quantum dynamics. Issues in Quantum Information Science also found applications in areas, including statistical inference, cryptography, neurobiology, perception, linguistics, bioinformatics, quantum computing, information retrieval, plagiarism detection, pattern recognition, anomaly detection, biology and many other areas.
