8,222 research outputs found
Monoidal computer III: A coalgebraic view of computability and complexity
Monoidal computer is a categorical model of intensional computation, where
many different programs correspond to the same input-output behavior. The
upshot of yet another model of computation is that a categorical formalism
should provide a much needed high level language for theory of computation,
flexible enough to allow abstracting away the low level implementation details
when they are irrelevant, or taking them into account when they are genuinely
needed. A salient feature of the approach through monoidal categories is the
formal graphical language of string diagrams, which supports visual reasoning
about programs and computations.
In the present paper, we provide a coalgebraic characterization of monoidal
computer. It turns out that the availability of interpreters and specializers,
that make a monoidal category into a monoidal computer, is equivalent with the
existence of a *universal state space*, that carries a weakly final state
machine for any pair of input and output types. Being able to program state
machines in monoidal computers allows us to represent Turing machines, to
capture their execution, count their steps, as well as, e.g., the memory cells
that they use. The coalgebraic view of monoidal computer thus provides a
convenient diagrammatic language for studying computability and complexity.Comment: 34 pages, 24 figures; in this version: added the Appendi
Physics, Topology, Logic and Computation: A Rosetta Stone
In physics, Feynman diagrams are used to reason about quantum processes. In
the 1980s, it became clear that underlying these diagrams is a powerful analogy
between quantum physics and topology: namely, a linear operator behaves very
much like a "cobordism". Similar diagrams can be used to reason about logic,
where they represent proofs, and computation, where they represent programs.
With the rise of interest in quantum cryptography and quantum computation, it
became clear that there is extensive network of analogies between physics,
topology, logic and computation. In this expository paper, we make some of
these analogies precise using the concept of "closed symmetric monoidal
category". We assume no prior knowledge of category theory, proof theory or
computer science.Comment: 73 pages, 8 encapsulated postscript figure
New Directions in Categorical Logic, for Classical, Probabilistic and Quantum Logic
Intuitionistic logic, in which the double negation law not-not-P = P fails,
is dominant in categorical logic, notably in topos theory. This paper follows a
different direction in which double negation does hold. The algebraic notions
of effect algebra/module that emerged in theoretical physics form the
cornerstone. It is shown that under mild conditions on a category, its maps of
the form X -> 1+1 carry such effect module structure, and can be used as
predicates. Predicates are identified in many different situations, and capture
for instance ordinary subsets, fuzzy predicates in a probabilistic setting,
idempotents in a ring, and effects (positive elements below the unit) in a
C*-algebra or Hilbert space. In quantum foundations the duality between states
and effects plays an important role. It appears here in the form of an
adjunction, where we use maps 1 -> X as states. For such a state s and a
predicate p, the validity probability s |= p is defined, as an abstract Born
rule. It captures many forms of (Boolean or probabilistic) validity known from
the literature. Measurement from quantum mechanics is formalised categorically
in terms of `instruments', using L\"uders rule in the quantum case. These
instruments are special maps associated with predicates (more generally, with
tests), which perform the act of measurement and may have a side-effect that
disturbs the system under observation. This abstract description of
side-effects is one of the main achievements of the current approach. It is
shown that in the special case of C*-algebras, side-effect appear exclusively
in the non-commutative case. Also, these instruments are used for test
operators in a dynamic logic that can be used for reasoning about quantum
programs/protocols. The paper describes four successive assumptions, towards a
categorical axiomatisation of quantitative logic for probabilistic and quantum
systems
Geometry of abstraction in quantum computation
Quantum algorithms are sequences of abstract operations, performed on
non-existent computers. They are in obvious need of categorical semantics. We
present some steps in this direction, following earlier contributions of
Abramsky, Coecke and Selinger. In particular, we analyze function abstraction
in quantum computation, which turns out to characterize its classical
interfaces. Some quantum algorithms provide feasible solutions of important
hard problems, such as factoring and discrete log (which are the building
blocks of modern cryptography). It is of a great practical interest to
precisely characterize the computational resources needed to execute such
quantum algorithms. There are many ideas how to build a quantum computer. Can
we prove some necessary conditions? Categorical semantics help with such
questions. We show how to implement an important family of quantum algorithms
using just abelian groups and relations.Comment: 29 pages, 42 figures; Clifford Lectures 2008 (main speaker Samson
Abramsky); this version fixes a pstricks problem in a diagra
Shaded Tangles for the Design and Verification of Quantum Programs (Extended Abstract)
We give a scheme for interpreting shaded tangles as quantum programs, with
the property that isotopic tangles yield equivalent programs. We analyze many
known quantum programs in this way -- including entanglement manipulation and
error correction -- and in each case present a fully-topological formal
verification, yielding in several cases substantial new insight into how the
program works. We also use our methods to identify several new or generalized
procedures.Comment: In Proceedings QPL 2017, arXiv:1802.0973
Classical Control, Quantum Circuits and Linear Logic in Enriched Category Theory
We describe categorical models of a circuit-based (quantum) functional
programming language. We show that enriched categories play a crucial role.
Following earlier work on QWire by Paykin et al., we consider both a simple
first-order linear language for circuits, and a more powerful host language,
such that the circuit language is embedded inside the host language. Our
categorical semantics for the host language is standard, and involves cartesian
closed categories and monads. We interpret the circuit language not in an
ordinary category, but in a category that is enriched in the host category. We
show that this structure is also related to linear/non-linear models. As an
extended example, we recall an earlier result that the category of W*-algebras
is dcpo-enriched, and we use this model to extend the circuit language with
some recursive types
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