A Note on Quantum Errors and Their Correction

This note presents a few observations on the nonlocal nature of quantum errors and the expected performance of the recently proposed quantum error-correction codes that are based on the assumption that the errors are either bit-flip or phase-flip or both.Comment: 9 page

Observability and Computability in Physical Systems

This paper considers the relevance of the concepts of observability and computability in physical theory. Observability is related to verifiability which is essential for effective computing and as physical systems are computational systems it is important even where explicit computation is not the goal. Specifically, we examine two problems: observability and computability for quantum computing, and remote measurement of time and frequency.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figur

The Axis and the Perimeter of the Temple

This paper presents textual evidence for an astronomical basis of the dimensions of the axis and perimeter in the plan of the Indian temple.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, Kannada Vrinda Seminar Sangama 2005 held at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles on November 19, 200

Babylonian and Indian Astronomy: Early Connections

Did the Indian and Babylonian astronomy evolve in isolation, was there mutual influence, or was one dependent on the other? Scholars have debated these questions for more than two centuries, and opinion has swung one way or the other with time. The similarities between the two systems that have been investigated are: the use of 30 divisions of the lunar month; the 360 divisions of the civil year; the length of the year; and the solar zodiac. Some have wondered if the Babylonian planetary tables might have played a role in the theories of the siddhantas. I shall in this essay go over the essentials of the early Indian and Babylonian astronomy and summarize the latest views on the relationship between them. I shall show that the key ideas found in the Babylonian astronomy of 700 BC are already present in the Vedic texts, which even by the most conservative reckoning are centuries older than this period. I shall also show that the solar zodiac (rashis) was used in Vedic India and I shall present a plausible derivation of the symbols of the solar zodiac from the deities of the lunar segments. This does not mean that the Babylonian astronomy and astrology is derived from the Indian tradition. If at all there was borrowing, that was restricted to the most general ideas only. The nature of Indian and Babylonian astronomical methods is quite different. I propose that it is most likely that Babylonian astronomy emerged independently.Comment: 37 pages; with minor correction

Extended Unary Coding

Extended variants of the recently introduced spread unary coding are described. These schemes, in which the length of the code word is fixed, allow representation of approximately n^2 numbers for n bits, rather than the n numbers of the standard unary coding. In the first of two proposed schemes the spread increases, whereas in the second scheme the spread remains constant.Comment: 5 page

Efficiency of Matrix Multiplication on the Cross-Wired Mesh Array

This note looks at the efficiency of the cross-wired mesh array in the context of matrix multiplication. It is shown that in case of repeated operations, the average number of steps to multiply sets of nxn matrices on a 2D cross-wired mesh array approaches n.Comment: 5 page

Birth and Early Development of Indian Astronomy

This paper provides an overview of the birth and early development of Indian astronomy. Taking account of significant new findings from archaeology and literary analysis, it is shown that early mathematical astronomy arose in India in the second millennium BC. The paper reviews the astronomy of the period of the Vedas, the Brahmanas, and the Vedanga Jyotisha. The origins of Puranic cosmology are also explained.Comment: 52 page

Bell States, Dense Coding, and Teleportation

The question of the measurements on the Bell states by making use of mode change (from mixed to pure) of one qubit is considered. Such a mode change cannot be taken advantage of for superluminal communication in teleportation, and it may define constraints on the size of the gates.Comment: 5 pages, with correction of typographical error

Paradox of Quantum Information

The notion of quantum information related to the two different perspectives of the global and local states is examined. There is circularity in the definition of quantum information because we can speak only of the information of systems that have been specifically prepared. In particular, we examine the final state obtained by applying unitary transformations on a single qubit that belongs to an entangled pair.Comment: 4 pages, with additional discussio

Multiparty Probability Computation and Verification

A multiparty computation protocol is described in which the parties can generate different probability events that is based on the sharing of a single anonymized random number, and also perform oblivious transfer. A method to verify the correctness of the procedure, without revealing the random numbers used by the parties, is proposed.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures; Corrected typographical error