QUROPE Quantum Information Processing and Communication in Europe

This workshop focuses on the role of causal structure in quantum physics. Quantum theorists often assume a fixed background causal structure, but even in this context correlations exhibited between regions that are causally-related are treated differently from those that are exhibited between regions that are merely connected by a common cause. For instance, quantum information processing concerns the former, while quantum entanglement concerns the latter. Bell's theorem also concerns causal structure: indeed, Bell inequalities are a special case of constraints on correlations that follow from assumptions about the causal structure in the context of a classical theory. The framework of general probabilistic theories, which allows for correlations that are more general than those that arise in quantum theory, also opens the door to the possibility of studying more general sorts of causal structure. Finally, various reformulations of quantum theory have sought to disentangle correlation from causation in quantum theory, or else to accommodate indefinite causal structure or the possibility of retro-causal influences. This workshop will bring together leading researchers in this field from different communities---quantum foundations, quantum information theory, machine learning, and quantum gravity---to share their approaches and results, to draw connections between research efforts, to develop a broader perspective on the issues, to foster an interactive community and to set objectives for future research.

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