Nisheeth Srivastava (CWI Amsterdam)

Title: Information-theoretic observations on the calculus of variations
 
Abstract: The calculus of variations is the principal mathematical tool in
the study of dynamical systems in physics. In recent years, advances in
statistical learning theory and its connections with information theory
have given us a deeper understanding of the effect of the action principle
when applied to certain classes of probability distributions. In this
talk, we propose to review some of this literature and demonstrate how
various statements of physical laws may be reformulated as statements of
information maximization on specific symmetry groups. We conclude with
observations on the effect of this view of the action principle on some
foundational issues in quantum mechanics.