The universal path integral
Author(s)
Lloyd, Seth; Dreyer, Olaf
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Path integrals calculate probabilities by summing over classical configurations of variables such as fields, assigning each configuration a phase equal to the action of that configuration. This paper defines a universal path integral, which sums over all computable structures. This path integral contains as sub-integrals all possible computable path integrals, including those of field theory, the standard model of elementary particles, discrete models of quantum gravity, string theory, etc. The universal path integral possesses a well-defined measure that guarantees its finiteness. The probabilities for events corresponding to sub-integrals can be calculated using the method of decoherent histories. The universal path integral supports a quantum theory of the universe in which the world that we see around us arises out of the interference between all computable structures.
Date issued
2015-12Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical EngineeringJournal
Quantum Information Processing
Publisher
Springer US
Citation
Lloyd, Seth, and Olaf Dreyer. “The Universal Path Integral.” Quantum Information Processing 15, no. 2 (December 10, 2015): 959–967.
Version: Author's final manuscript
ISSN
1570-0755
1573-1332