Fundamental limits to the measurement of space and time


Seth Lloyd

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Department of Mechanical Engineering

Physics limits the accuracy with which measurements can be made.  This
talk uses results from the physics of information processing and the
theory of quantum computation to put fundamental bounds to the
accuracy with which space and time can be measured.  Using the global
positioning system (GPS) as an example, the talk derives a new bound,
the Quantum Geometric Limit, to the accuracy with which intervals of
space and time can be determined.