Quantum Information Can be Negative

nerdlygirl writes "In a development that would probably even puzzle Claude Shannon, information can be negative -- at least when the information is quantum. The discovery, by Horodecki, Oppenheim, and Winter, appears in the current edition of the leading journal Nature. If I tell you negative information, you'll know less. Apparently, researchers hope to use this to gain deeper insights into phenomena such as quantum teleportation and computation, as well as the very structure of the quantum world. More details can be found here and here A popular account of the article can be found on Oppenheim's homepage, and a free version of the article can be found in the arxiv for those of us without subscriptions to Nature."

Comments

Finally, a matter I can speak on with authority...

[Skyshadow]

I've been studying negative information for years. I consider myself somewhat of an expert on the subject, actually.

Initially, I believed that negative information was an abstract math concept, but after a significant amount of additional study I've determined rather conclusively that it exists in our frame of reference and that the effects are actually easy to detect. The trick is to *locate* some of this negative information. Fortunately, I've managed to work that out as well -- I'm not publishing for a few months yet, but I figure I'm far enough along to spill some of the beans:

Experiencing negative inforamtion is all about occupying a point in space and time which intersects with the negative information stream. This was initially tricky, but through months of tireless research I've worked out the optimal conditions: I find that your best chance of encountering it is roughly around 1 AM when you're at the bar with your friends after a long night of drinking and one of them says something along the lines of, "Awright! Time for some shots!"

Bang! Negative information. What happened after that? How did I get home? All lost in the quantum flow, never to be accurately described by anyone involved (except, occasionally and for reasons I still haven't managed to factor into my equations, the bouncer and the police). I assume the headaches and liver damage are just a nominal side effect.

True

[M.C. Hampster]

After trying to read those articles, I do feel like I know less.

When I was in high school

[multiplexo]

a friend and I used to joke that there were people who gave off destructive mental interference waves. Sitting next to these people would result in a decrease in brain function because their brainwaves were 180 degrees out of phase than the brainwaves of normal people, thus cancelling them out and creating a thought-free zone.

Of course negative information is cool, but it would be even cooler if you could combine negative information and positive information to produce a huge explosion.

Re:When I was in high school

[Skyshadow]

a friend and I used to joke that there were people who gave off destructive mental interference waves. Sitting next to these people would result in a decrease in brain function

Maybe things have changed in the last 10 years, but back when I was in high school we called these people "girls".

Re:When I was in high school

[QuantaStarFire]

Maybe things have changed in the last 10 years, but back when I was in high school we called these people "girls".

Actually, proximity to girls caused higher brain functions to be transferred to an area just below the waist. You could still technically think, but it was limited in scope.

Re:When I was in high school

[Cutterex]

"By looking at the 3D map, you can see an unmistakable cone of ignorance."

Re:(-2)+(-3)=+1

[Persol]

(-2)+(-3)=+1

I think you've hit the lower limit already....

Re:(-2)+(-3)=+1

[saigon_from_europe]

(-2)+(-3)=+1

You have obviously received a lot of negative information before you started writing this 'math'.

Re:(-2)+(-3)=+1

[kscguru]

So, if two people tell me negative information, I'll know more?

Depends on what you're doing. (-2)+(-3)=+1 is Slashdot Moderator Math, which has no basis in either reality or fantasy and transmits no useful information whatsoever.