Date of Award
Spring 4-30-2019
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Physics
First Advisor
Benjamin Schumacher
Abstract
We can divide the world into parts; larger quantum systems can be decomposed into smaller subsystems. Less familiar is the fact that this can be done in many different inequivalent ways. We call a particular subsystem division a meronomic reference frame. Such a frame is a prerequisite for defining quantum entanglement, and a shared meronomic frame may be used to perform various quantum information tasks. In this thesis, we use the theory of quantum reference frames to investigate how asymmetric quantum states can be used to embody meronomic frame information. We show how different decompositions are related to each other. We also present a number of enlightening examples, some of them concerning 'tictac' systems that can be split into a pair of qubits.
Recommended Citation
Hulse, Austin, "Meronomic reference frames; or, How do you know your tictac is mine?" (2019). Honors Theses. 225.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/honorstheses/225
Rights Statement
All rights reserved. This copy is provided to the Kenyon Community solely for individual academic use. For any other use, please contact the copyright holder for permission.