Relating Maxwell's demon and quantitative analysis of information leakage for practical imperative programs

Shannon observed the relation between information entropy and Maxwell demon experiment to come up with information entropy formula. After that, Shannon's entropy formula is widely used to measure information leakage in imperative programs. But in the present work, our aim is to go in a reverse direction and try to find possible Maxwell's demon experimental setup for contemporary practical imperative programs in which variations of Shannon's entropy formula has been applied to measure the information leakage. To establish the relation between the second principle of thermodynamics and quantitative analysis of information leakage, present work models contemporary variations of imperative programs in terms of Maxwell's demon experimental setup. In the present work five contemporary variations of imperative program related to information quantification are identified. They are:(i) information leakage in imperative program,(ii) imperative multithreaded program,(iii) point to point leakage in the imperative program,(iv) imperative program with infinite observation,and(v) imperative program in the SOA-based environment. For these variations, minimal work required by an attacker to gain the secret is also calculated using historical Maxwell's demon experiment. To model the experimental setup of Maxwell's demon, non-interference security policy is used. In the present work, imperative programs with one-bit secret information have been considered to avoid the complexity. The findings of the present work from the history of physics can be utilized in many areas related to information flow of physical computing, nano-computing, quantum computing,biological computing, energy dissipation in computing, and computing power analysis.     

Radar sensor network for target detection using Chernoff information and relative entropy

In this paper, we propose to apply information theory to Ultra wide band (UWB) radar sensor network (RSN) to detect target in foliage environment. Information theoretic algorithms such as Maximum entropy method (MEM) and mutual information are proven methods, that can be applied to data collected by various sensors. However, the complexity of the environment poses uncertainty in fusion center. Chernoff information provides the best error exponent of detection in Bayesian environment. In this paper, we consider the target detection as binary hypothesis testing and use Chernoff information as sensor selection criterion, which significantly reduces the processing load. Another strong information theoretic algorithm, method of types, is applicable to our MEM based target detection algorithm as entropy is dependent on the empirical distribution only. Method of types analyzes the probability of a sequence based on empirical distribution. Based on this, we can find the bound on probability of detection. We also propose to use Relative entropy based processing in the fusion center based on method of types and Chernoff Stein Lemma. We study the required quantization level and number of nodes in gaining the best error exponent. The performance of the algorithms were evaluated, based on real world data.     

Earth’s Complexity Is Non-Computable: The Limits of Scaling Laws,Nonlinearity and Chaos

Current physics commonly qualifies the Earth system as ‘complex’ because it includes numerous different processes operating over a large range of spatial scales, often modelled as exhibiting non-linear chaotic response dynamics and power scaling laws. This characterization is based on the fundamental assumption that the Earth’s complexity could, in principle, be modeled by (surrogated by) a numerical algorithm if enough computing power were granted. Yet, similar numerical algorithms also surrogate different systems having the same processes and dynamics, such as Mars or Jupiter, although being qualitatively different from the Earth system. Here, we argue that understanding the Earth as a complex system requires a consideration of the Gaia hypothesis: the Earth is a complex system because it instantiates life—and therefore an autopoietic, metabolic-repair (M,R) organization—at a planetary scale. This implies that the Earth’s complexity has formal equivalence to a self-referential system that inherently is non-algorithmic and, therefore, cannot be surrogated and simulated in a Turing machine. We discuss the consequences of this, with reference to in-silico climate models, tipping points, planetary boundaries, and planetary feedback loops as units of adaptive evolution and selection.     

麦克斯韦妖与信息处理的物理极限

文章系统地评述了麦克斯韦妖佯谬相关的热力学基本观念的发端、历史沿革以及当前正在发展的科学前沿问题。文章作者从以下两个方面详细地阐述了为什么信息处理过程本质上是一个与麦克斯韦妖观念相“纠缠”的物理过程：(1)信息认知和提取可以辅助物理系统更有效地做功;(2) 物理定律会对信息处理过程施加一个不可逾越的物理极限。这些分析与概念的澄清将有助于正确理解计算过程和热力学之间的关系。     

Causality,Measurement, and Elementary Interactions

Signal causality, the prohibition of superluminal information transmission, is the fundamental property shared by quantum measurement theory and relativity, and it is the key to understanding the connection between nonlocal measurement effects and elementary interactions. To prevent those effects from transmitting information between the generating and observing process, they must be induced by the kinds of entangling interactions that constitute measurements, as implied in the Projection Postulate. They must also be nondeterministic as reflected in the Born Probability Rule. The nondeterminism of entanglement-generating processes explains why the relevant types of information cannot be instantiated in elementary systems, and why the sequencing of nonlocal effects is, in principle, unobservable. This perspective suggests a simple hypothesis about nonlocal transfers of amplitude during entangling interactions, which yields straightforward experimental consequences.     

Entropic uncertainty relations and the extremely allowable critical error in quantum cryptography

The main parameter of any quantum cryptography protocol is the critical error Q _c to which secret key distribution is possible. The critical error of all known quantum key distribution protocols does not exceed 20%. In this work, a protocol with which secret key distribution is possible to Q _c → 50% is described and a simple proof of the security of the protocol is presented using fundamental entropic uncertainty relations. This critical error is a theoretical, but achievable limit, which cannot be improved.     

压缩平稳重调脉冲的色散渐减光纤的设计

文章根据平稳重调脉冲(SRP)在梳状光纤(CPF)结构中的压缩原理,对色散渐减光纤(DDF)的色散特性进行设计,结果发现该色散渐减光纤的色散特性呈线性递减.对于平稳重调脉冲其压缩比与功率比等于光纤始末两端二阶色散系数的比值.当色散渐减光纤的斜率足够小时,无啁啾基阶孤子可以近似为平稳重调脉冲,当色散渐减光纤的色散斜率较大时,无啁啾基阶孤子不能近似为平稳重调脉冲.当基阶孤子带有与光纤色散斜率成正比的线性啁啾时,脉冲的压缩比与功率比更接近于光纤始末两端二阶色散系数的比值.说明带有线性啁啾的基阶孤子比不带啁啾的基阶孤子更接近于平稳重调脉冲. 关键词： 平稳重调脉冲(SRP) 梳状光纤(CPF) 色散渐减光纤(DDF) 色散递减表达式     

量子BB84协议在联合旋转噪音信道上的安全性分析

多数在理想条件下设计的量子密码协议没有考虑实际通信中噪音的影响,可能造成机密信息不能被准确传输,或可能存在窃听隐藏在噪音中的风险,因此分析噪音条件下量子密码协议的安全性具有重要的意义.为了分析量子BB84协议在联合旋转噪音信道上的安全性,本文采用粒子偏转模型,对量子信道中的联合噪音进行建模,定量地区分量子信道中噪音和窃听干扰;并且采用冯·诺依曼熵理论建立窃听者能窃取的信息量与量子比特误码率、噪音水平三者之间的函数关系,定量地分析噪音条件下量子信道的安全性;最后根据联合噪音模型及窃听者能窃取的信息量与量子比特误码率、噪音水平三者之间的关系,定量地分析了量子BB84协议在联合噪音条件下的安全性并计算噪音临界点.通过分析可知,在已有噪音水平条件下,窃听者最多能够从通信双方窃取25%的密钥,但是Eve的窃听行为会被检测出来,这样Alice和Bob会放弃当前协商的密钥,重新进行密钥协商,直至确认没有Eve的窃听为止.这个结果说明量子BB84协议在联合旋转噪音信道下的通信是安全的.     

Realization of Quantum Maxwell's Demon with Solid-State Spins

We report experimental realization of a quantum version of Maxwell's demon using solid state spins where the information acquiring and feedback operations by the demon are achieved through conditional quantum gates.A unique feature of this implementation is that the demon can start in a quantum superposition state or in an entangled state with an ancilla observer. Through quantum state tomography, we measure the entropy in the system, demon, and the ancilla, showing the influence of coherence and entanglement on the result. A quantum implementation of Maxwell's demon adds more controllability to this paradoxical thermal machine and may find applications in quantum thermodynamics involving microscopic systems.     

Uncertainty,certainty, and relativity(Invited Paper)

One of the most fascinating principles in quantum mechanics must be Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, which can be briefly stated as follows: every physical observation cannot be precisely determined without some degree of error or uncertainty. And it is by no means can one use the principle within the limit of certainty region, as will be shown in this Letter. Two of the most important pillars in modern physics must be Einstein's relativity theory and Schr?dinger's contribution to quantum mechanics. Yet, there is a profound connection between these discoveries by means of the uncertainty relationship, in which we shown that the observation of a high-speed object is conceivable if the speed of the observer keeps up with object's speed.     

Undecidability and the Problem of Outcomes in Quantum Measurements

We argue that it is fundamentally impossible to recover information about quantum superpositions when a quantum system has interacted with a sufficiently large number of degrees of freedom of the environment. This is due to the fact that gravity imposes fundamental limitations on how accurate measurements can be. This leads to the notion of undecidability: there is no way to tell, due to fundamental limitations, if a quantum system evolved unitarily or suffered wavefunction collapse. This in turn provides a solution to the problem of outcomes in quantum measurement by providing a sharp criterion for defining when an event has taken place. We analyze in detail in examples two situations in which in principle one could recover information about quantum coherence: (a) “revivals” of coherence in the interaction of a system with the measurement apparatus and the environment and (b) the measurement of global observables of the system plus apparatus plus environment. We show in the examples that the fundamental limitations due to gravity and quantum mechanics in measurement prevent both revivals from occurring and the measurement of global observables. It can therefore be argued that the emerging picture provides a complete resolution to the measurement problem in quantum mechanics.     

A Maxwell Demon Model Connecting Information and Thermodynamics

In the past decades several theoretical Maxwell's demon models have been proposed to exhibit effects such as refrigerating,doing work at the cost of information,and some experiments have been carried out to realize these effects.We propose a model with a two-level demon,information represented by a sequence of bits,and two heat reservoirs.The reservoir that the demon is interacting with depends on the bit.When the temperature difference between the two heat reservoirs is large enough,the information can be erased.On the other hand,when the information is pure enough,heat transfer from one reservoir to the other can happen,resulting in the effect of refrigeration.Genuine examples of such a system are discussed.     

Nonequilibrium free energy and information flow of a double quantum-dot system with Coulomb coupling

We build a double quantum-dot system with Coulomb coupling and aim at studying connections among the entropy production, free energy, and information flow. By utilizing concepts in stochastic thermodynamics and graph theory analysis, Clausius and nonequilibrium free energy inequalities are built to interpret local second law of thermodynamics for subsystems. A fundamental set of cycle fluxes and affinities is identified to decompose two inequalities by using Schnakenberg's network theory. Results show that the thermodynamic irreversibility has energy-related and information-related contributions. A global cycle associated with the feedback-induced information flow would pump electrons against the bias voltage, which implements a Maxwell demon.     

A Simple Example of “Quantum Darwinism”: Redundant Information Storage in Many-Spin Environments

As quantum information science approaches the goal of constructing quantum computers, understanding loss of information through decoherence becomes increasingly important. The information about a system that can be obtained from its environment can facilitate quantum control and error correction. Moreover, observers gain most of their information indirectly, by monitoring (primarily photon) environments of the “objects of interest.” Exactly how this information is inscribed in the environment is essential for the emergence of “the classical” from the quantum substrate. In this paper, we examine how many-qubit (or many-spin) environments can store information about a single system. The information lost to the environment can be stored redundantly, or it can be encoded in entangled modes of the environment. We go on to show that randomly chosen states of the environment almost always encode the information so that an observer must capture a majority of the environment to deduce the system’s state. Conversely, in the states produced by a typical decoherence process, information about a particular observable of the system is stored redundantly. This selective proliferation of “the fittest information” (known as Quantum Darwinism) plays a key role in choosing the preferred, effectively classical observables of macroscopic systems. The developing appreciation that the environment functions not just as a garbage dump, but as a communication channel, is extending our understanding of the environment’s role in the quantum-classical transition beyond the traditional paradigm of decoherence.     

The Szilard engine revisited: Entropy,macroscopic randomness,and symmetry breaking phase transitions

The role of symmetry breaking phase transitions in the Szilard engine is analyzed. It is shown that symmetry breaking is the only necessary ingredient for the engine to work. To support this idea, we show that the Ising model behaves exactly as the Szilard engine. We design a purely macroscopic Maxwell demon from an Ising model, demonstrating that a demon can operate with information about the macrostate of the system. We finally discuss some aspects of the definition of entropy and how thermodynamics should be modified to account for the variations of entropy in second-order phase transitions. (c) 2001 American Institute of Physics.     

联合波叠加法的全息理论与实验研究

当空间声场中同时存在多个相干声源时，运用常规近场声全息方法无法重建每个相干声源表面的声学信息，当然也无法预测每个声源单独产生的空间声场，相干声场的全息重建与预测已成为全息技术推广应用过程中亟待解决的问题.在提出联合波叠加法并将其应用于空间声场变换的基础上，对其进行了实验研究.通过对实际相干声场的全息重建与预测，验证了常规波叠加法在相干声场重建中的局限性、联合波叠加法在相干声场全息重建与预测过程的可行性和准确性，还研究了Tikhonov正则化方法在抑制声学逆问题的非适定性中的有效性和滤波系数的选择原则的可行性，以提高全息重建与预测的精度. 关键词： 近场声全息 联合波叠加 相干声场 Tikhonov正则化     

Reinforcement Learning-Based Multihop Relaying: A Decentralized Q-Learning Approach

Conventional optimization-based relay selection for multihop networks cannot resolve the conflict between performance and cost. The optimal selection policy is centralized and requires local channel state information (CSI) of all hops, leading to high computational complexity and signaling overhead. Other optimization-based decentralized policies cause non-negligible performance loss. In this paper, we exploit the benefits of reinforcement learning in relay selection for multihop clustered networks and aim to achieve high performance with limited costs. Multihop relay selection problem is modeled as Markov decision process (MDP) and solved by a decentralized Q-learning scheme with rectified update function. Simulation results show that this scheme achieves near-optimal average end-to-end (E2E) rate. Cost analysis reveals that it also reduces computation complexity and signaling overhead compared with the optimal scheme.     

High-order mode of polymeric waveguide selective excitation

Conditions for the selective excitation of multimode waveguide high-order modes by power trans-formation of fundamental modes of a tunnel connected waveguide are calculated. It is shown that the power conversion factor can reach 100% under phase-matching conditions, which can be satisfied by the selection of a second waveguide refractive index.     

Quantum Pseudo-Telepathy

Quantum information processing is at the crossroads of physics, mathematics and computer science. It is concerned with what we can and cannot do with quantum information that goes beyond the abilities of classical information processing devices. Communication complexity is an area of classical computer science that aims at quantifying the amount of communication necessary to solve distributed computational problems. Quantum communication complexity uses quantum mechanics to reduce the amount of communication that would be classically required. Pseudo-telepathy is a surprising application of quantum information processing to communication complexity. Thanks to entanglement, perhaps the most nonclassical manifestation of quantum mechanics, two or more quantum players can accomplish a distributed task with no need for communication whatsoever, which would be an impossible feat for classical players. After a detailed overview of the principle and purpose of pseudo-telepathy, we present a survey of recent and not-so-recent work on the subject. In particular, we describe and analyse all the pseudo-telepathy games currently known to the authors. Supported in Part by Canada’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Canada Research Chair programme and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIAR). Supported in part by a scholarship from Canada’s NSERC. Supported in part by Canada’s NSERC Québec’s Fonds de recherche sur la nature et les technologies (FQRNT), the CIAR and the Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems Network (MITACS).