Related papers: Implications of computer science theory for the si…
We show that the modern quantum mechanics, and particularly the theory of decoherence, allows for formulating a sort of a physical metatheory of consciousness. Particularly, the analysis of the necessary conditions for the occurrence of…
In spite of remarkable recent advances, quantum computers still lack useful applications. A promising direction for such utility is offered by the simulation of the dynamics of many-body quantum systems, which cannot be efficiently computed…
The difficulty of simulating quantum systems, well-known to quantum chemists, prompted the idea of quantum computation. One can avoid the steep scaling associated with the exact simulation of increasingly large quantum systems on…
We show that the time evolution of the wave function of a quantum mechanical many particle system can be implemented very efficiently on a quantum computer. The computational cost of such a simulation is comparable to the cost of a…
This paper provides the first systematic philosophical analysis of an increasingly important part of modern scientific practice: analogue quantum simulation. We introduce the distinction between `simulation' and `emulation' as applied in…
Several philosophical problems arising from the physics of consciousness, including identity, duplication, teleportation, simulation, self-location, and the Boltzmann Brain problem, hinge on one of the most deeply held but unnecessary…
The hard problem in consciousness is the problem of understanding how physical processes in the brain could give rise to subjective conscious experience. In this paper, I suggest that in order to understand the relationship between…
This paper is a survey dedicated to the analogy between the notions of {\it complexity} in theoretical computer science and {\it energy} in physics. This analogy is not metaphorical: I describe three precise mathematical contexts, suggested…
Energy consumption of computing has found increasing prominence but the area still suffers from the lack of a consolidated formal theory. In this paper, a theory for the energy consumption of computing is structured as an axiomatic system.…
Quantum computing is expected to have a profound impact on society. In this work we discuss the potential consequences on existential risk for humanity. Even with the timeline for large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computing still unclear,…
Theoretical computer science discusses foundational issues about computations. It asks and answers questions such as "What is a computation?", "What is computable?", "What is efficiently computable?","What is information?", "What is…
As we begin to reach the limits of classical computing, quantum computing has emerged as a technology that has captured the imagination of the scientific world. While for many years, the ability to execute quantum algorithms was only a…
Quantum computers hold promise to improve the efficiency of quantum simulations of materials and to enable the investigation of systems and properties more complex than tractable at present on classical architectures. Here, we discuss…
Computer science is also an experimental science. This is particularly the case for parallel computing, which is in a total state of flux, and where experiments are necessary to substantiate, complement, and challenge theoretical modeling…
When we want to predict the future, we compute it from what we know about the present. Specifically, we take a mathematical representation of observed reality, plug it into some dynamical equations, and then map the time-evolved result back…
We present a practical course targeting graduate students with prior knowledge of the basics of quantum computing. The practical aims to deepen students' understanding of fundamental concepts in quantum computing by implementing quantum…
Is the universe computable? If so, it may be much cheaper in terms of information requirements to compute all computable universes instead of just ours. I apply basic concepts of Kolmogorov complexity theory to the set of possible…
An intense effort is being made today to build a quantum computer. Instead of presenting what has been achieved, I invoke here analogies from the history of science in an attempt to glimpse what the future might hold. Quantum computing is…
In metaphysics, there are a number of distinct but related questions about the existence of "further facts" -- facts that are contingent relative to the physical structure of the universe. These include further facts about qualia, personal…
$ $[This paper is a (self contained) chapter in a new book, Mathematics and Computation, whose draft is available on my homepage at https://www.math.ias.edu/avi/book ]. We survey some concrete interaction areas between computational…