Jonathan Bain
Dept. of Technology, Culture and Society
Tandon School of Engineering, New York University

TCS-UY.4504 Advanced Seminar: Information

Courses


Syllabus

Reading:

1.
[Bub01] Bub, J. (2001) "Maxwell's Demon and the Thermodynamics of Computation", Stud. Hist. Phil. Mod. Phys 32: 569-79.
2.
[Bub04] Bub, J. (2004) "Why the Quantum", Stud. Hist. Phil. Mod. Phys. 35: 241-66.
3.
[deM18] de Mol, L. (2018) "Turing Machines", Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, E. Zalta (ed.).
4.
[EarNort98] Earman, J. & J. Norton (1998) "Exorcist XIV: The Wrath of Maxwell's Demon. Part I. From Maxwell to Szilard", Stud. Hist. Phil. Mod. Phys. 29: 435-71.
5.
[EarNort93] Earman, J. & J. Norton (1993) "Forever is a Day: Supertasks in Pitowski and Malament-Hogarth Spacetimes", Phil. Sci. 60: 22-42.
6.
[FriWer11]  Frigg, R. & C. Werndl (2019) "Statistical Mechanics: A Tale of Two Theories", The Monist 102: 424-438.
7.
[Hog94]  Hogarth, M. (1994) "Non-Turing Computers and Non-Turing Computability", in PSA 1994, D. Hull et al., PSA: 126-38.
8.
[Is25]  Ismael, J. (2025) "Quantum Mechanics", Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, E. Zalta (ed.).
9.
[Ly17]  Ly, A. et al. (2017) "A Tutorial on Fisher Information", arXiv:1705.01064v2.
10.
[Shan48]  Shannon, C. (1948) "A Mathematical Theory of Communication", The Bell System Technical Journal 27: 379-423, 623-656 (excerpts).
11.
[Wol19] Wolchover, N. (2019) "How Space and Time Could be a Quantum Error-Correcting Code", Quanta Magazine.
 
Lecture Slides:
01.Introduction
02.Shannon Information   
03.Fisher Information
04.Thermodynamic Entropy and Information
05.Statistical Mechanical Entropy and Information   
06.Maxwell's Demon and Information
07a.Quantum Mechanics: Basics
07b.Quantum Mechanics: Basics II
08.Quantum Information Theory: Basics
09.Quantum Information: Transmission
10.Quantum Information: Protection
11.Turing Computability
12a.Classical and Relativistic Spacetimes
12b.Relativistic Spacetimes and Computability
13.Topology and Quantum Error Correction
14.Spacetime as a Quantum Error Correction Code?
15.Physics From Quantum Information?
16.Physics From Fisher Information?    

Assignments:
hw01
hw02
hw03
hw04
hw05
hw06
hw07
extra credit 

Paper Assignment #1
Paper Assignment #2
Paper Assignment #3
Paper Guidelines

Handouts:
Notes on Entanglement 
Notes on Entropy

Relevant articles in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
"Information"
"Information Processing and Thermodynamic Entropy"
"Boltzmann's Work in Statistical Physics"
"Philosophy of Statistical Mechanics"
"Computation in Physical Systems"
"Supertasks"
"Quantum Entanglement and Information"