Information and Its Role in Nature

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Springer Science & Business Media, 23.05.2005 - 235 Seiten

Infromation and Its Role in Nature presents an in-depth interdisciplinary discussion of the concept of information and its role in the control of natural processes. After a brief review of classical and quantum information theory, the author addresses numerous central questions, including: Is information reducible to the laws of physics and chemistry? Does the Universe, in its evolution, constantly generate new information? Or are information and information-processing exclusive attributes of living systems, related to the very definition of life? If so, what is the role of information in classical and quantum physics? In what ways does information-processing in the human brain bring about self-consciousness? Accessible to graduate students and professionals from all scientific disciplines, this stimulating book will help to shed light on many controversial issues at the heart of modern science.

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Ausgewählte Seiten

Inhalt

1 Elements of Classical Information Theory
7
12 Playing with an Idealized Pinball Machine
11
13 Quantifying Statistical Information
14
14 Algorithmic Information Complexity and Randomness
23
A Prelude to Quantum Computing
28
16 Objective and Subjective Aspects of Classical Information Theory
32
Elements of Quantum Information Theory
35
21 Basic Facts about Quantum Mechanics
36
36 Connecting Pragmatic Information with Shannon Information
121
The Active Role of Information in Biological Systems
125
41 Patterns Images Maps and Feature Detection
126
42 Representation of Information in the Neural System
132
43 Memory Learning and Associative Recall
140
44 Representation of Information in Biomolecular Systems
148
45 Information and Life
155
The Passive Role of Information in Physics
161

22 Playing with a Quantum Pinball Machine
43
23 The Counterintuitive Behavior of Quantum Systems
48
24 Basic Algorithms for SingleParticle Quantum Systems
51
25 Physics of the MachZehnder Interferometer
54
26 Polarized Photons
61
27 Quantum Bits Quantum Information and Quantum Computing
64
28 Entanglement and Quantum Information
69
29 Dense Coding Teleportation and Quantum Information
75
Classical Quantum and InformationDriven Interactions
79
31 The Genesis of Complexity and Organization
81
32 Classical Interaction Mechanisms
90
33 Classical Force Fields
98
34 Quantum Interactions and Fields
105
35 InformationDriven Interactions and Pragmatic Information
111
Turning Observations into Information and Information into Knowledge
162
52 Models Initial Conditions and Information
166
53 Reversibility Determinism and Information
170
54 Microstates and Macrostates
173
55 Entropy and Information
181
56 Physical Laws Classical and Quantum Measurements and Information
187
Information and the Brain
199
Breaking Up Information into Pieces
207
Putting the Pieces Together Again in a Different Way
213
64 Feelings Consciousness SelfConsciousness and Information
217
65 Free Will and the MindBody Problem
223
References
225
Index
231
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Autoren-Profil (2005)

Juan G. Roederer is professor of physics emeritus at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, and adviser at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics. 1952 DSc. University of Buenos Aires; 1966 professor of physics at that university; 1967-1977 professor at the University of Denver, Colorado; 1977-1986 director of the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska, then professor until 1993. Research fields: space physics, psychoacoustics, information theory and science policy; author of over 250 articles in scientific journals. His books "Mecanica Elemental" (Eudeba, Buenos Aires), "Dynamics of Geomagnetically Trapped Radiation" and "Physics and Psychophysics of Music" (both at Springer-Verlag) are ‘classic’ university textbooks in their fields; the latter was translated into German, Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese. Roederer is a member of the Academies of Science of Austria, Argentina, and the Third World Academy of Sciences. Aus den Rezensionen: "... eine Buchreihe... Begründet und redaktionell betreut von Physikerin Angela Lahee, hat sie das Ziel, den Lesern eine Erweiterung und Reflexion der eigenen Wissensgrenzen zu ermöglichen.... Die zentrale Rolle der Information in der Natur – Quantentheorie, Biologie, Genetik und Hirnforschung – erörtert der Physiker Juan G. Roederer... außerordentlich lesenwert. ‘was wir brauchen, ist nicht der Wille zu glauben, sondern der Wille herauszufinden‘... Die interdisziplinäre, unkonventionelle Frontiers Collection... hat ihn sogar zu ihrem Leitspruch erhoben." (Rüdiger Vaas, in: Naturwissenschaftliche Rundschau, 2007, Vol. 60, Issue 4, S. 212 ff.)

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