Quuantum Simplicity: Complexity Science in a Quantum World*

Complexity and quantum science appear at first to be two fields that bear little relation. One deals with the science of the very large – seeking the understand how unexpected phenomena can emerge in vast systems consisting of many interacting components. Quantum theory, on the other hand, deals with particles at the microscopic level and is usually considered limited to the domain of individual photons and atoms. Yet, different as they appear, there is growing evidence that in interfacing ideas from quantum and complexity science, we may unveil new perspective in either both fields.

Here, I introduce computational mechanics, a branch of complexity science captures structure by building the simplest causal models of natural observations. I illustrate how many processes that require complex classical models may be simulated by remarkably simple quantum devices, and describe recent experiments to test this laboratory conditions [1-3]. I survey the potential consequences these developments, highlighting how the indicate that fundamental notions of structure, complexity and causality [4]

References:
[1] Nature Communications 3, 762
[2] Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 24050
[3] Nature communications 10, 1630
[4] Phys. Rev. X 8, 031013