Synopses & Reviews
Is the universe actually a giant quantum computer? According to Seth Lloyd--professor of quantum-mechanical engineering at MIT and originator of the first technologically feasible design for a working quantum computer--the answer is yes. This book illuminates the professional and personal paths that led him to this remarkable conclusion. All interactions between particles in the universe, Lloyd explains, convey not only energy but also information--in other words, particles not only collide, they compute. And what is the entire universe computing, ultimately? "Its own dynamical evolution," he says. "As the computation proceeds, reality unfolds." To elucidate his theory, Lloyd examines the history of the cosmos, posing questions that in other hands might seem unfathomably complex: How much information is there in the universe? What information existed at the moment of the Big Bang and what happened to it? How do quantum mechanics and chaos theory interact to create our world? Could we attempt to re-createit on a giant quantum computer?--From publisher description.The author compares the universe to a giant quantum computer, arguing that all interactions between particles in the universe convey information as well as energy, a theory that he uses to trace the history and workings of the universe.
Synopsis
Is the universe actually a giant quantum computer? According to Seth Lloyd, the answer is yes.
All interactions between particles in the universe, Lloyd explains, convey not only energy but also information–in other words, particles not only collide, they compute. What is the entire universe computing, ultimately? “Its own dynamical evolution,” he says. “As the computation proceeds, reality unfolds.” Programming the Universe, a wonderfully accessible book, presents an original and compelling vision of reality, revealing our world in an entirely new light.
Synopsis
The legendary computer science guru compares the universe to a giant quantum computer, arguing that all interactions between particles in the universe convey information as well as energy, a theory that he uses to trace the history and workings of the universe, from the Big Bang to the present day. Reprint. 35,000 first printing.
About the Author
Seth Lloyd is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT and a principal investigator at the Research Laboratory of Electronics. He is also adjunct assistant professor at the Santa Fe Institute. He designed the first feasible quantum computer, and works on problems having to do with information and complex systems from the very small (how do atoms process information? how can you make them compute?) to the very large (how does society process information? And how can we understand society in terms of its ability to process information?).
His seminal work in the fields of quantum computation and quantum communications--including proposing the first technologically feasible design for a quantum computer--has gained him a reputation as an innovator and leader in the field of quantum computing. Lloyd has been featured widely in the mainstream media including the front page of The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, Wired, The Dallas Morning News, and The Times (London), among others. His name also frequently appears (both as writer and subject) in the pages of Nature, New Scientist, Science, and Scientific American.