Location
MC 6460
Candidate
Maria Rosa Preciado Rivas | University of Waterloo
Title
Relativistic Quantum Information
Abstract
Quantum field theory is our most successful description of nature at microscopic scales, accurately describing phenomena ranging from elementary particles to the interactions observed in particle colliders. However, quantum fields are not directly observable. Instead, we probe them using systems that act as detectors.
Relativistic quantum information adopts this operational perspective: rather than studying quantum fields through abstract mathematical quantities alone, we investigate what we can learn about them through their interactions with simple quantum systems. The response of these detectors encodes information about the field and its background spacetime. This approach has provided valuable insights into phenomena at the intersection of quantum theory, relativity, and thermodynamics, including the Unruh and Hawking effects.
More recently, the focus has expanded from what detectors can learn about quantum fields to what quantum fields can do for the detectors. Through their interaction with a field, quantum systems can acquire information-theoretic resources such as entanglement and magic. This perspective connects quantum field theory with concepts from quantum information.
In this introductory talk, I will present the basic framework of relativistic quantum information and discuss key results in the field, along with examples from my own research.