Communication tasks in operational theories

Information Processing in Convex Operational Theories

In order to understand the source and extent of the greater-than-classical information processing power of quantum systems, one wants to characterize both classical and quantum mechanics as points in a broader space of possible theories. One approach to doing this, pioneered by Abramsky and Coecke, is to abstract the essential categorical features of classical and quantum mechanics that support...

Representing operational semantics with enriched Lawvere theories

Many term calculi, like λ-calculus or π-calculus, involve binders for names, and the mathematics of bound variable names is subtle. Schönfinkel introduced the SKI combinator calculus in 1924 to clarify the role of quantified variables in intuitionistic logic by eliminating them. Yoshida demonstrated how to eliminate the bound names coming from the input prefix in the asynchronous π-calculus, bu...

Operational Theories of Physics as Categories

We introduce a new approach to the study of operational theories of physics using category theory. We define a generalisation of the (causal) operational-probabilistic theories of Chiribella et al. and establish their correspondence with our new notion of an operational category. Our work is based on effectus theory, a recently developed area of categorical logic, to which we give an operationa...

Operational Theories and Categorical Quantum Mechanics

A central theme in current work in quantum information and quantum foundations is to see quantum mechanics as occupying one point in a space of possible theories, and to use this perspective to understand the special features and properties which single it out, and the possibilities for alternative theories. Two formalisms which have been used in this context are operational theories, and categ...

Theories of Communication Networks