Constructor Theory as Process Theory

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Gogioso, Stefano, Wang-Maścianica, Vincent, Waseem, Muhammad Hamza, Scandolo, Carlo Maria, Coecke, Bob
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
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author Gogioso, Stefano
Wang-Maścianica, Vincent
Waseem, Muhammad Hamza
Scandolo, Carlo Maria
Coecke, Bob
author_facet Gogioso, Stefano
Wang-Maścianica, Vincent
Waseem, Muhammad Hamza
Scandolo, Carlo Maria
Coecke, Bob
contents Constructor theory is a meta-theoretic approach that seeks to characterise concrete theories of physics in terms of the (im)possibility to implement certain abstract "tasks" by means of physical processes. Process theory, on the other hand, pursues analogous characterisation goals in terms of the compositional structure of said processes, concretely presented through the lens of (symmetric monoidal) category theory. In this work, we show how to formulate fundamental notions of constructor theory within the canvas of process theory. Specifically, we exploit the functorial interplay between the symmetric monoidal structure of the category of sets and relations, where the abstract tasks live, and that of symmetric monoidal categories from physics, where concrete processes can be found to implement said tasks. Through this, we answer the question of how constructor theory relates to the broader body of process-theoretic literature, and provide the impetus for future collaborative work between the fields.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2401_05364
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Constructor Theory as Process Theory
Gogioso, Stefano
Wang-Maścianica, Vincent
Waseem, Muhammad Hamza
Scandolo, Carlo Maria
Coecke, Bob
Category Theory
Mathematical Physics
Quantum Physics
Constructor theory is a meta-theoretic approach that seeks to characterise concrete theories of physics in terms of the (im)possibility to implement certain abstract "tasks" by means of physical processes. Process theory, on the other hand, pursues analogous characterisation goals in terms of the compositional structure of said processes, concretely presented through the lens of (symmetric monoidal) category theory. In this work, we show how to formulate fundamental notions of constructor theory within the canvas of process theory. Specifically, we exploit the functorial interplay between the symmetric monoidal structure of the category of sets and relations, where the abstract tasks live, and that of symmetric monoidal categories from physics, where concrete processes can be found to implement said tasks. Through this, we answer the question of how constructor theory relates to the broader body of process-theoretic literature, and provide the impetus for future collaborative work between the fields.
title Constructor Theory as Process Theory
topic Category Theory
Mathematical Physics
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.05364