Information Processing beyond Quantum Computation

Abstract

Recent developments in quantum computation have made it clear that there is a lot more to computation than the conventional Boolean algebra. Is quantum computation the most general framework for processing information? Having gathered the courage to go beyond the traditional definitions, we are now in a position to answer: Certainly not. The meaning of a message being ``a collection of building blocks'' can be explored in a variety of situations. A generalised framework is proposed based on group theory, and it is illustrated with well-known physical examples. A systematic information theoretical approach is yet to be developed in many of these situations. Some directions for future development are pointed out.