Skip to main content
European Commission logo print header

Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and the Foundations of Quantum Theory in the light of Quantum Information

Objective

Despite the great success of quantum theory, a clear understanding of its foundations is missing; the question of why the world follows such puzzling rules is still begging for an answer. By revolutionizing the way we perceive and manipulate information, the emergence of quantum information science has allowed recent progress in quantum foundations, and led to the development of innovative applications and technological advances, with a great impact on society.

This promises even more discoveries. In this context, my project will revisit the celebrated Heisenberg uncertainty principle with an innovative approach and new quantum information techniques. This fundamental principle implies that some properties of a quantum system--like the location and speed of a particle--are incompatible and cannot be measured at the same time. Joint measurements can still be approximated, giving partial information only. I will precisely quantify the trade-off between the information one can obtain on two incompatible properties.

I will then question how much of the theory can be reconstructed from this aspect of the uncertainty principle, taken as a fundamental axiom, and which other axioms are necessary to fully reconstruct it. This will give clues on why Nature “chose” to abide by the laws of quantum theory among other possible theories, and offer an original perspective to some of the deepest questions in quantum foundations.

With this project I will bring my expertise in quantum information and foundations to Europe and contribute to an exciting new research activity at the Institut Néel. I will initiate fruitful collaborations between the Institute and world-class experts in Australia, a leading country in the area of this proposal, and participate in the promotion of research to the general public. This Fellowship will be a crucial step in my academic career by allowing me to integrate a top-level institution in Europe and to develop my managerial and communication skills.

Call for proposal

FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IIF
See other projects for this call

Coordinator

CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
EU contribution
€ 202 405,80
Address
RUE MICHEL ANGE 3
75794 Paris
France

See on map

Region
Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris
Activity type
Research Organisations
Administrative Contact
Guillaume Rochet (Mr.)
Links
Total cost
No data