Physical limits of computation and emergence of life

摘要

The computational process is based on the activity linking mathematical equations to a materialized physical world. It consumes energy which lower limit is defined by the set of Planck's values, i.e. by the physical structure of the Universe. We discuss computability from the quantum measurement framework. Effective quantum computation is possible via the maintenance of a long-living cold decoherence-free internal state, which is achieved by applying error-correction commands to it and by screening it from thermal fluctuations. The quantum Zeno effect enables coherent superpositions and entanglement to persist for macroscopic time intervals. Living systems maintain coherent states via realization of their own computing programs aiming them to survive and develop, while their non-computable behavior corresponds to a generative power that arises beyond combinatorial capabilities of the system. Emergence of life brings in the Universe a creative activity that overcomes the limits of computability.