Introduction to the Physics of Information

The "Information Paradigm" provides a new unifying fundamental approach to the physical and computation sciences that can be extended to include the biological sciences. The "Information Theory" approach is now at the theoretical cutting edge of these fields. This book provides numerous "everyday" examples of the use of physics of information for advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs and academics in the field. Areas discussed in the book include the black hole information paradox that is a central issue in cosmology; the effort to produce a useful quantum computer; and the investigation of the role of information and quantum information in the biological sciences.

Introduction. The Origins of Information Theory. Classical Information. Classical Computing. Basic Concepts of Quantum Mechanics. Qubits and their Realization. Quantum Non-locality - Quantum Entanglement. Quantum Information Theory. Quantum Computation. Quantum Algorithms. Quantum Cryptography. Physical Realizations of Quantum Computers. Entropy, Information and Life .