From Reversible to Irreversible Computations

Authors:
Alexander S. Green;Thorsten Altenkirch
Affiliations:
Computer Science and IT, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK;Computer Science and IT, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
Venue:
Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science (ENTCS)
Year:
2008

Citing 7
Cited 1

Reversible Space Equals Deterministic Space

CCC '97 Proceedings of the 12th Annual IEEE Conference on Computational Complexity
Towards a quantum programming language

Mathematical Structures in Computer Science
A Functional Quantum Programming Language

LICS '05 Proceedings of the 20th Annual IEEE Symposium on Logic in Computer Science
A structural approach to reversible computation

Theoretical Computer Science
Structuring quantum effects: superoperators as arrows

Mathematical Structures in Computer Science
Dagger Compact Closed Categories and Completely Positive Maps

Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science (ENTCS)
Logical reversibility of computation

IBM Journal of Research and Development

Petri Nets Are Dioids

AMAST 2008 Proceedings of the 12th international conference on Algebraic Methodology and Software Technology

Quantified Score

Hi-index	0.00

Visualization

Abstract

In this paper we study the relation between reversible and irreversible computation applicable to different models of computation - here we are considering classical and quantum computation. We develop an equational theory of reversible computations and an associated theory of irreversible computations which is obtained by marking some inputs as preinitialised heap and some outputs as garbage to be thrown away at the end of the computation. We present three laws which apply to irreversible classical and quantum computations and show that von Neumann's measurement postulate is derivable from them. We discuss the question whether these laws are complete for irreversible quantum computations.