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We propose a new thermodynamic, relativistic relationship between information and entropy, which is closely analogous to the classic Maxwell electro-magnetic equations. Determination of whether information resides in points of non-analyticity or is more distributed in nature therefore relates directly to the well-known wave-particle duality of light. At cosmological scales our vector differential equations predict conservation of information in black holes, whereas regular and Z-DNA correspond to helical solutions at microscopic levels. We further propose that regular and Z-DNA are equivalent to the alternative words chosen from an alphabet to maintain the equilibrium of an information transmission system.

Recent investigations into the physical nature of information and fundamental limits to information transmission have revealed questions such as the possibility of superluminal data transfer or not; and whether reversible computation (information processing) is feasible. In some respects these uncertainties stem from the determination of whether information is inherent in points of non-analyticity (discontinuities) or smoother functions. The close relationship between information and entropy is also well known, e.g. Brillouin's concept of negentropy (negative entropy) as a measure for information. Since the leading edge of a step-discontinuity propagates in any dispersive medium at the speed of light in vacuum as a precursor to the main body of the dispersed pulse, we propose in this paper to treat information as being intrinsic to points of non-analyticity (discontinuities). This allows us to construct a theory addressing these dilemmas in a fashion consistent with causality, and the fundamental laws of thermodynamics. A consequence of our proposition is that the movement of information is always associated with the dissipation of heat, and therefore that the concept of reversible classical computation is not tenable., Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures

In this paper we present an analysis of information transfer based on Landauer's principle (i.e. erasure of information is associated with an increase in entropy), as well as considerations of analyticity and causality. We demonstrate that holomorphic functions allowing complete analytic continuation cannot propagate any information, such that information transfer only occurs with analytic functions having points of non-analyticity (i.e. meromorphic functions). Such points of non-analyticity (or discontinuities) are incompatible with adiabaticity, so that information transfer must always be accompanied by a change in entropy: a dynamic reformulation of Landauer's Principle. In addition, since Brillouin proved that discontinuities cannot travel faster than the speed of light c, this also implies that information cannot be transferred at superluminal speeds., Comment: 5 pages, to be published in Optics Communications

In this paper we present an analysis of information transfer time based on holomorphism, causality and the classical principle of stationary phase. We also make a preliminary study of the effect of noise on information transfer time, and find that noise tends to increase transfer times. Noise and information signals are both essentially acausal, such that analytic continuation (i.e. prediction) is impossible, which also implies that their frequency spectra cannot be holomorphic. This leads to the paradox of a non-holomorphic information-bearing light signal, yet whose underlying Maxwell equations governing the propagation of the EM wave describe a holomorphic function in spacetime. We find that application of stationary phase and entropy arguments circumvents this difficulty, with stationary phase only suggesting the most likely transfer times of an information signal in the presence of noise. Faster transit times are not excluded, but are highly improbable. Stationary phase solutions, by definition, do not include signal forerunners, whose detection in the presence of noise is also unreliable. Hence a finite information capacity ensues, as expected from Shannon's law, and information cannot be transferred faster than c. We also find that the method of stationary phase implies complex transfer times. However, by considering spacetime to be isomorphic with the complex temporal plane, we find that an imaginary time is equivalent to a real distance, and can be interpreted as the uncertainty in the spatial position of the information pulse. Finally, we apply our theory to a photonic band gap crystal, and find that information transfer speed and tunneling is always subluminal., Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures

We present a Fourier transform methodology for all-order polarization mode dispersion (PMD) analysis, based on the first Born approximation to the coupled-mode equation solution. Our method predicts wavelength-dependent PMD effects and allows design of filters for their mitigation., Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure (submitted to European Conference on Optical Communications, ECOC'02)