Constructor theory - Wikipedia

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2021-10-20 23:00:05

Constructor theory is a proposal for a new mode of explanation in fundamental physics in the language of ergodic theory, first sketched out by David Deutsch, a quantum physicist at the University of Oxford, in 2012.[1][2] Constructor theory expresses physical laws exclusively in terms of which physical transformations, or tasks, are possible versus which are impossible, and why. By allowing such counterfactual statements into fundamental physics, it allows new physical laws to be expressed, such as the constructor theory of information.[3][4]

The fundamental elements of the theory are tasks—the abstract specifications of transformations as input–output pairs of attributes. A task is impossible if there is a law of physics that forbids its being performed with arbitrarily high accuracy, and possible otherwise. When it is possible, a constructor for it can be built, again with arbitrary accuracy and reliability. A constructor is an entity that can cause the task to occur while retaining the ability to cause it again. Examples of constructors include a heat engine (a thermodynamic constructor), a catalyst (a chemical constructor) or a computer program controlling an automated factory (an example of a programmable constructor).[3][4]

The theory was developed by physicists David Deutsch and Chiara Marletto.[4][5] It draws together ideas from diverse areas including thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, information theory, and quantum computation.

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