Quantum Theory and Quantum Field Theory

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In the absence of this one candidate, ah, it's quite er important, i think, too emancipate the results that we have about the universality of computation. And e theres other things that pertain to the qantum ter computation, from the specific formal aspects of quantum theory. Some of them may stay, some of them may not stay in the future. But whatever happens, i think my bet is that the information thretic structure of quantum theory will b maintain.

Traditional physics works within the “Laplacian paradigm”: you give me the state of the universe (or some closed system), some equations of motion, then I use those equations to evolve the system through time. Constructor theory proposes an alternative paradigm: to think of physical systems in terms of counterfactuals — the set of rules governing what can and cannot happen. Originally proposed by David Deutsch, constructor theory has been developed by today’s guest, Chiara Marletto, and others. It might shed new light on quantum gravity and fundamental physics, as well as having applications to higher-level processes of thermodynamics and biology.

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Chiara Marletto received her DPhil in physics from the University of Oxford. She is currently a research fellow at Wolfson College, University of Oxford. Her new book is The Science of Can and Can’t: A Physicist’s Journey Through the Land of Counterfactuals.

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