Jochen Szangolies | German Aerospace Center (DLR) (original) (raw)

Papers by Jochen Szangolies

The Frontiers Collection, 2018

Erkenntnis, 2021

Representationalist accounts of mental content face the threat of the homunculus fallacy. In coll... more Representationalist accounts of mental content face the threat of the homunculus fallacy. In collapsing the distinction between the conscious state and the conscious subject, self-representational accounts of consciousness possess the means to deal with this objection. We analyze a particular sort of self-representational theory, built on the work of John von Neumann on self-reproduction, using tools from mathematical logic. We provide an explicit theory of the emergence of referential beliefs by means of modal fixed points, grounded in intrinsic properties yielding the subjective aspects of experience. Furthermore, we study complications introduced by allowing for the modification of such symbolic content by environmental influences.

The Frauchiger-Renner argument aims to show that `quantum theory cannot consistently describe the... more The Frauchiger-Renner argument aims to show that `quantum theory cannot consistently describe the use of itself': in many-party settings where agents are themselves subject to quantum experiments, agents may make predictions that contradict observations. Here, we introduce a simplified setting using only three agents, that is independent of the initial quantum state, thus eliminating in particular any need for entanglement, and furthermore does not need to invoke any final measurement and resulting collapse. Nevertheless, the predictions and observations made by the agents cannot be integrated into a single, consistent account. We propose that the existence of this sort of Rashomon effect, i. e. the impossibility of uniting different perspectives, is due to failing to account for the limits put on the information available about any given system as encapsulated in the notion of an epistemic horizon.

Minds and Machines, 2020

I examine the abstraction/representation theory of computation put forward by Horsman et al., con... more I examine the abstraction/representation theory of computation put forward by Horsman et al., connecting it to the broader notion of modeling, and in particular, modelbased explanation, as considered by Rosen. I argue that the 'representational entities' it depends on cannot themselves be computational, and that, in particular, their representational capacities cannot be realized by computational means, and must remain explanatorily opaque to them. I then propose that representation might be realized by subjective experience (qualia), through being the bearer of the structure of abstract objects that are represented.

Foundations of Physics, 2018

In-principle restrictions on the amount of information that can be gathered about a system have b... more In-principle restrictions on the amount of information that can be gathered about a system have been proposed as a foundational principle in several recent reconstructions of the formalism of quantum mechanics. However, it seems unclear precisely why one should be thus restricted. We investigate the notion of paradoxical self-reference as a possible origin of such epistemic horizons by means of a fixed-point theorem in Cartesian closed categories due to F. W. Lawvere that illuminates and unifies the different perspectives on self-reference.

Physical Review Letters, 2017

In many quantum information applications, a minimum detection efficiency must be exceeded to ensu... more In many quantum information applications, a minimum detection efficiency must be exceeded to ensure success. Protocols depending on the violation of a Bell inequality, for instance, may be subject to the so-called detection loophole: imperfect detectors may yield spurious violations, which consequently cannot be used to ensure, say, quantum cryptographic security. Hence, we investigate the possibility of giving lower bounds on detector efficiency even if an adversary has full control over both the source and the detectors. To this end, we present a technique to systematically derive Bell inequalities free from the detection loophole using only the observed measurements statistics. The violation of these inequalities certifies that the detectors used exceed a certain minimal efficiency.

New Journal of Physics, 2015

In quantum information theory, the reliable and effective detection of entanglement is of paramou... more In quantum information theory, the reliable and effective detection of entanglement is of paramount importance. However, given an unknown state, assessing its entanglement is a challenging task. To attack this problem, we investigate the use of random local measurements, from which entanglement witnesses are then constructed via semidefinite programming methods. We propose a scheme of successively increasing the number of measurements until the presence of entanglement can be unambiguously concluded, and investigate its performance in various examples.

arXiv: Quantum Physics, 2020

In [Found. Phys. 48.12 (2018): 1669], the notion of 'epistemic horizon' was introduced as... more In [Found. Phys. 48.12 (2018): 1669], the notion of 'epistemic horizon' was introduced as an explanation for many of the puzzling features of quantum mechanics. There, it was shown that Lawvere's theorem, which forms the categorical backdrop to phenomena such as Godelian incompleteness, Turing undecidability, Russell's paradox and others, applied to a measurement context, yields bounds on the maximum knowledge that can be obtained about a system. We give a brief presentation of the framework, and then proceed to study it in the particular setting of Bell's theorem. Closing the circle in the antihistorical direction, we then proceed to use the obtained insights to shed some light on the supposed incompleteness of quantum mechanics itself, as famously argued by Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen.

Erkenntnis, 2021

Representationalist accounts of mental content face the threat of the homunculus fallacy. In coll... more Representationalist accounts of mental content face the threat of the homunculus fallacy. In collapsing the distinction between the conscious state and the conscious subject, self-representational accounts of consciousness possess the means to deal with this objection. We analyze a particular sort of self-representational theory, built on the work of John von Neumann on self-reproduction, using tools from mathematical logic. We provide an explicit theory of the emergence of referential beliefs by means of modal fixed points, grounded in intrinsic properties yielding the subjective aspects of experience. Furthermore, we study complications introduced by allowing for the modification of such symbolic content by environmental influences.

Epistemic horizons emerge from paradoxical self-reference as limitations on the information simul... more Epistemic horizons emerge from paradoxical self-reference as limitations on the information simultaneously and consistently available about a system. They entail many quintessentially quantum phenomena, such as value indeterminacy, superposition, complementarity, and the uncertainty principle. A key characteristic is that, in general, information from beyond different horizons cannot be integrated: there is no 'meta-horizon'. This leads to a quantum Rashomon effect: different 'stories' about the same experiment cannot be integrated into an overarching meta-narrative. We explain this concept, and apply it to the Frauchiger-Renner paradox, interpreting it as highlighting the failure of distinct perspectives to mesh. To reinforce this, we exhibit a state-independent Frauchiger-Renner szenario, eliminating any necessity for entanglement: the quantum Rashomon effect is thus a generic feature of the quantum world. Additionally, no measurement or collapse-dynamics needs to be invoked to obtain the contradiction, making this a feature of purely unitarily evolving quantum systems.

Undecidability, Uncomputability, and Unpredictability, 2021

In [Found. Phys. 48.12 (2018): 1669], the notion of epistemic horizon was introduced as an explan... more In [Found. Phys. 48.12 (2018): 1669], the notion of epistemic horizon was introduced as an explanation for many of the puzzling features of quantum mechanics. There, it was shown that Lawvere's theorem, which forms the categorical backdrop to phenomena such as Gödelian incompleteness, Turing undecidability, Russell's paradox and others, applied to a measurement context, yields bounds on the maximum knowledge that can be obtained about a system, which produces many paradigmatically quantum phenomena. We give a brief presentation of the framework, and then demonstrate how it naturally yields Bell inequality violations. We then study the argument due to Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen, and show how the counterfactual inference needed to conclude the incompleteness of the quantum formalism is barred by the epistemic horizon. Similarly, the paradoxes due to Hardy and Frauchiger-Renner are discussed, and found to turn on an inconsistent combination of information from incompatible contexts.

Minds and Machines, 2020

I examine the abstraction/representation theory of computation put forward by Horsman et al., con... more I examine the abstraction/representation theory of computation put forward by Horsman et al., connecting it to the broader notion of mod-eling, and in particular, model-based explanation, as considered by Rosen. I argue that the 'representational entities' it depends on cannot themselves be computational, and that, in particular, their representational capacities cannot be realized by computational means, and must remain explanatorily opaque to them. I then propose that representation might be realized by subjective experience (qualia), through being the bearer of the structure of abstract objects that are represented.

FQXi Essay Contest, 2020

In [Found. Phys. 48.12 (2018): 1669], the notion of 'epistemic horizon' was introduced as an expl... more In [Found. Phys. 48.12 (2018): 1669], the notion of 'epistemic horizon' was introduced as an explanation for many of the puzzling features of quantum mechanics. There, it was shown that Lawvere's theorem, which forms the categorical backdrop to phenomena such as Gödelian incompleteness, Turing undecidability, Russell's paradox and others, applied to a measurement context, yields bounds on the maximum knowledge that can be obtained about a system. We give a brief presentation of the framework, and then proceed to study it in the particular setting of Bell's theorem. Closing the circle in the antihistorical direction, we then proceed to use the obtained insights to shed some light on the supposed incompleteness of quantum mechanics itself, as famously argued by Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen.

We engage the world via models. However, every model is necessarily incomplete: the faculty by wh... more We engage the world via models. However, every model is necessarily incomplete: the faculty by which modeling works cannot itself be modeled, and thus, remains opaque to understanding. We thus apprehend the world with tools intrinsically incapable of encompassing it as a whole. I propose that several challenging philosophical problems are in fact expressions of this limitation. Among them is the problem of fundamentals: since every model of the world reduces to some set of fundamental facts, we expect the same thing to hold of the world as a whole. This, however, ultimately confuses the map with the territory.

Von Neumann Minds: A Toy Model of Meaning in a Natural World. In: Aguirre A., Foster B., Merali Z. (eds) Wandering Towards a Goal. The Frontiers Collection. Springer, Cham, 2018

The question of meaning, or intentionality, is plagued by the homunculus fallacy: postulating an ... more The question of meaning, or intentionality, is plagued by the homunculus fallacy: postulating an 'internal observer' appraising mental representations leads to an infinite regress of such observers. We exhibit the structure behind this problem, and propose a way to break it down, by drawing on work due to von Neumann. This allows to eliminate the dichotomy between a representation and its user, eliminating the infinite regress. We briefly comment on how the resulting model handles other problems for a naturalistic account of meaning, such as the problem of error and the frame problem.

Foundations of Physics, 2018

In-principle restrictions on the amount of information that can be gathered about a system have b... more In-principle restrictions on the amount of information that can be gathered about a system have been proposed as a foundational principle in several recent reconstructions of the formalism of quantum mechanics. However, it seems unclear precisely why one should be thus restricted. We investigate the notion of paradoxical self-reference as a possible origin of such epistemic horizons by means of a fixed-point theorem in Cartesian closed categories due to F. W. Lawvere that illuminates and unifies the different perspectives on self-reference.

Mind and Matter, 2015

The problem of intentionality concerns the question of how mental states can come to refer to, or... more The problem of intentionality concerns the question of how mental states can come to refer to, or be about, objects external to themselves. Representational attempts to account for this ubiquitous property of mental states lead to the following puzzle: if sensory data is used to construct a representation of the world within the mind, then how is this representation itself perceived? The implication of an in finite iteration of representation-and-perception is what constitutes the homunculus fallacy. I exhibit an analogous problem in the theory of self-reproducing systems, and discuss its solution due to the Hungarian mathematician John von Neumann. I then describe a structure capable of collapsing the in finite regress by fulfi lling both the roles of representation and the representation's user.

In quantum information theory, the reliable and effective detection of entanglement is of paramou... more In quantum information theory, the reliable and effective detection of entanglement is of paramount importance. However, given an unknown state, assessing its entanglement is a challenging task. To attack this problem, we investigate the use of random local measurements, from which entanglement witnesses are then constructed via semidefinite programming methods. We propose a scheme of successively increasing the number of measurements until the presence of entanglement can be unambiguously concluded, and investigate its performance in various examples.

Phys. Rev. A 87, 050101(R) (2013), May 6, 2013

The testability of the Kochen-Specker theorem is a subject of ongoing controversy. A central issu... more The testability of the Kochen-Specker theorem is a subject of ongoing controversy. A central issue is that experimental implementations relying on sequential measurements cannot achieve perfect compatibility between the measurements and that therefore the notion of noncontextuality is not well defined. We demonstrate by an explicit model that such compatibility violations may yield a violation of noncontextuality inequalities, even if we assume that the incompatibilities merely originate from context-independent noise. We show, however, that this problem can be circumvented by combining the ideas behind Leggett-Garg inequalities with those of the Kochen-Specker theorem.

Books by Jochen Szangolies

Jochen Szangolies contributes a novel way of dealing with the problem of the experimental testabi... more Jochen Szangolies contributes a novel way of dealing with the problem of the experimental testability of the Kochen-Specker theorem posed by realistic, that is, noisy, measurements. Such noise spoils perfect compatibility between successive measurements, which however is a necessary requirement to test the notion of contextuality in usual approaches. To overcome this difficulty, a new, extended notion of contextuality that reduces to Kochen-Specker contextuality in the limit of perfect measurement implementations is proposed by the author, together with a scheme to test this notion experimentally. Furthermore, the behaviour of these tests under realistic noise conditions is investigated.

The Frontiers Collection, 2018

Erkenntnis, 2021

Representationalist accounts of mental content face the threat of the homunculus fallacy. In coll... more Representationalist accounts of mental content face the threat of the homunculus fallacy. In collapsing the distinction between the conscious state and the conscious subject, self-representational accounts of consciousness possess the means to deal with this objection. We analyze a particular sort of self-representational theory, built on the work of John von Neumann on self-reproduction, using tools from mathematical logic. We provide an explicit theory of the emergence of referential beliefs by means of modal fixed points, grounded in intrinsic properties yielding the subjective aspects of experience. Furthermore, we study complications introduced by allowing for the modification of such symbolic content by environmental influences.

The Frauchiger-Renner argument aims to show that `quantum theory cannot consistently describe the... more The Frauchiger-Renner argument aims to show that `quantum theory cannot consistently describe the use of itself': in many-party settings where agents are themselves subject to quantum experiments, agents may make predictions that contradict observations. Here, we introduce a simplified setting using only three agents, that is independent of the initial quantum state, thus eliminating in particular any need for entanglement, and furthermore does not need to invoke any final measurement and resulting collapse. Nevertheless, the predictions and observations made by the agents cannot be integrated into a single, consistent account. We propose that the existence of this sort of Rashomon effect, i. e. the impossibility of uniting different perspectives, is due to failing to account for the limits put on the information available about any given system as encapsulated in the notion of an epistemic horizon.

Minds and Machines, 2020

I examine the abstraction/representation theory of computation put forward by Horsman et al., con... more I examine the abstraction/representation theory of computation put forward by Horsman et al., connecting it to the broader notion of modeling, and in particular, modelbased explanation, as considered by Rosen. I argue that the 'representational entities' it depends on cannot themselves be computational, and that, in particular, their representational capacities cannot be realized by computational means, and must remain explanatorily opaque to them. I then propose that representation might be realized by subjective experience (qualia), through being the bearer of the structure of abstract objects that are represented.

Foundations of Physics, 2018

In-principle restrictions on the amount of information that can be gathered about a system have b... more In-principle restrictions on the amount of information that can be gathered about a system have been proposed as a foundational principle in several recent reconstructions of the formalism of quantum mechanics. However, it seems unclear precisely why one should be thus restricted. We investigate the notion of paradoxical self-reference as a possible origin of such epistemic horizons by means of a fixed-point theorem in Cartesian closed categories due to F. W. Lawvere that illuminates and unifies the different perspectives on self-reference.

Physical Review Letters, 2017

In many quantum information applications, a minimum detection efficiency must be exceeded to ensu... more In many quantum information applications, a minimum detection efficiency must be exceeded to ensure success. Protocols depending on the violation of a Bell inequality, for instance, may be subject to the so-called detection loophole: imperfect detectors may yield spurious violations, which consequently cannot be used to ensure, say, quantum cryptographic security. Hence, we investigate the possibility of giving lower bounds on detector efficiency even if an adversary has full control over both the source and the detectors. To this end, we present a technique to systematically derive Bell inequalities free from the detection loophole using only the observed measurements statistics. The violation of these inequalities certifies that the detectors used exceed a certain minimal efficiency.

New Journal of Physics, 2015

In quantum information theory, the reliable and effective detection of entanglement is of paramou... more In quantum information theory, the reliable and effective detection of entanglement is of paramount importance. However, given an unknown state, assessing its entanglement is a challenging task. To attack this problem, we investigate the use of random local measurements, from which entanglement witnesses are then constructed via semidefinite programming methods. We propose a scheme of successively increasing the number of measurements until the presence of entanglement can be unambiguously concluded, and investigate its performance in various examples.

arXiv: Quantum Physics, 2020

In [Found. Phys. 48.12 (2018): 1669], the notion of 'epistemic horizon' was introduced as... more In [Found. Phys. 48.12 (2018): 1669], the notion of 'epistemic horizon' was introduced as an explanation for many of the puzzling features of quantum mechanics. There, it was shown that Lawvere's theorem, which forms the categorical backdrop to phenomena such as Godelian incompleteness, Turing undecidability, Russell's paradox and others, applied to a measurement context, yields bounds on the maximum knowledge that can be obtained about a system. We give a brief presentation of the framework, and then proceed to study it in the particular setting of Bell's theorem. Closing the circle in the antihistorical direction, we then proceed to use the obtained insights to shed some light on the supposed incompleteness of quantum mechanics itself, as famously argued by Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen.

Erkenntnis, 2021

Representationalist accounts of mental content face the threat of the homunculus fallacy. In coll... more Representationalist accounts of mental content face the threat of the homunculus fallacy. In collapsing the distinction between the conscious state and the conscious subject, self-representational accounts of consciousness possess the means to deal with this objection. We analyze a particular sort of self-representational theory, built on the work of John von Neumann on self-reproduction, using tools from mathematical logic. We provide an explicit theory of the emergence of referential beliefs by means of modal fixed points, grounded in intrinsic properties yielding the subjective aspects of experience. Furthermore, we study complications introduced by allowing for the modification of such symbolic content by environmental influences.

Epistemic horizons emerge from paradoxical self-reference as limitations on the information simul... more Epistemic horizons emerge from paradoxical self-reference as limitations on the information simultaneously and consistently available about a system. They entail many quintessentially quantum phenomena, such as value indeterminacy, superposition, complementarity, and the uncertainty principle. A key characteristic is that, in general, information from beyond different horizons cannot be integrated: there is no 'meta-horizon'. This leads to a quantum Rashomon effect: different 'stories' about the same experiment cannot be integrated into an overarching meta-narrative. We explain this concept, and apply it to the Frauchiger-Renner paradox, interpreting it as highlighting the failure of distinct perspectives to mesh. To reinforce this, we exhibit a state-independent Frauchiger-Renner szenario, eliminating any necessity for entanglement: the quantum Rashomon effect is thus a generic feature of the quantum world. Additionally, no measurement or collapse-dynamics needs to be invoked to obtain the contradiction, making this a feature of purely unitarily evolving quantum systems.

Undecidability, Uncomputability, and Unpredictability, 2021

In [Found. Phys. 48.12 (2018): 1669], the notion of epistemic horizon was introduced as an explan... more In [Found. Phys. 48.12 (2018): 1669], the notion of epistemic horizon was introduced as an explanation for many of the puzzling features of quantum mechanics. There, it was shown that Lawvere's theorem, which forms the categorical backdrop to phenomena such as Gödelian incompleteness, Turing undecidability, Russell's paradox and others, applied to a measurement context, yields bounds on the maximum knowledge that can be obtained about a system, which produces many paradigmatically quantum phenomena. We give a brief presentation of the framework, and then demonstrate how it naturally yields Bell inequality violations. We then study the argument due to Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen, and show how the counterfactual inference needed to conclude the incompleteness of the quantum formalism is barred by the epistemic horizon. Similarly, the paradoxes due to Hardy and Frauchiger-Renner are discussed, and found to turn on an inconsistent combination of information from incompatible contexts.

Minds and Machines, 2020

I examine the abstraction/representation theory of computation put forward by Horsman et al., con... more I examine the abstraction/representation theory of computation put forward by Horsman et al., connecting it to the broader notion of mod-eling, and in particular, model-based explanation, as considered by Rosen. I argue that the 'representational entities' it depends on cannot themselves be computational, and that, in particular, their representational capacities cannot be realized by computational means, and must remain explanatorily opaque to them. I then propose that representation might be realized by subjective experience (qualia), through being the bearer of the structure of abstract objects that are represented.

FQXi Essay Contest, 2020

In [Found. Phys. 48.12 (2018): 1669], the notion of 'epistemic horizon' was introduced as an expl... more In [Found. Phys. 48.12 (2018): 1669], the notion of 'epistemic horizon' was introduced as an explanation for many of the puzzling features of quantum mechanics. There, it was shown that Lawvere's theorem, which forms the categorical backdrop to phenomena such as Gödelian incompleteness, Turing undecidability, Russell's paradox and others, applied to a measurement context, yields bounds on the maximum knowledge that can be obtained about a system. We give a brief presentation of the framework, and then proceed to study it in the particular setting of Bell's theorem. Closing the circle in the antihistorical direction, we then proceed to use the obtained insights to shed some light on the supposed incompleteness of quantum mechanics itself, as famously argued by Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen.

We engage the world via models. However, every model is necessarily incomplete: the faculty by wh... more We engage the world via models. However, every model is necessarily incomplete: the faculty by which modeling works cannot itself be modeled, and thus, remains opaque to understanding. We thus apprehend the world with tools intrinsically incapable of encompassing it as a whole. I propose that several challenging philosophical problems are in fact expressions of this limitation. Among them is the problem of fundamentals: since every model of the world reduces to some set of fundamental facts, we expect the same thing to hold of the world as a whole. This, however, ultimately confuses the map with the territory.

Von Neumann Minds: A Toy Model of Meaning in a Natural World. In: Aguirre A., Foster B., Merali Z. (eds) Wandering Towards a Goal. The Frontiers Collection. Springer, Cham, 2018

The question of meaning, or intentionality, is plagued by the homunculus fallacy: postulating an ... more The question of meaning, or intentionality, is plagued by the homunculus fallacy: postulating an 'internal observer' appraising mental representations leads to an infinite regress of such observers. We exhibit the structure behind this problem, and propose a way to break it down, by drawing on work due to von Neumann. This allows to eliminate the dichotomy between a representation and its user, eliminating the infinite regress. We briefly comment on how the resulting model handles other problems for a naturalistic account of meaning, such as the problem of error and the frame problem.

Foundations of Physics, 2018

In-principle restrictions on the amount of information that can be gathered about a system have b... more In-principle restrictions on the amount of information that can be gathered about a system have been proposed as a foundational principle in several recent reconstructions of the formalism of quantum mechanics. However, it seems unclear precisely why one should be thus restricted. We investigate the notion of paradoxical self-reference as a possible origin of such epistemic horizons by means of a fixed-point theorem in Cartesian closed categories due to F. W. Lawvere that illuminates and unifies the different perspectives on self-reference.

Mind and Matter, 2015

The problem of intentionality concerns the question of how mental states can come to refer to, or... more The problem of intentionality concerns the question of how mental states can come to refer to, or be about, objects external to themselves. Representational attempts to account for this ubiquitous property of mental states lead to the following puzzle: if sensory data is used to construct a representation of the world within the mind, then how is this representation itself perceived? The implication of an in finite iteration of representation-and-perception is what constitutes the homunculus fallacy. I exhibit an analogous problem in the theory of self-reproducing systems, and discuss its solution due to the Hungarian mathematician John von Neumann. I then describe a structure capable of collapsing the in finite regress by fulfi lling both the roles of representation and the representation's user.

In quantum information theory, the reliable and effective detection of entanglement is of paramou... more In quantum information theory, the reliable and effective detection of entanglement is of paramount importance. However, given an unknown state, assessing its entanglement is a challenging task. To attack this problem, we investigate the use of random local measurements, from which entanglement witnesses are then constructed via semidefinite programming methods. We propose a scheme of successively increasing the number of measurements until the presence of entanglement can be unambiguously concluded, and investigate its performance in various examples.

Phys. Rev. A 87, 050101(R) (2013), May 6, 2013

The testability of the Kochen-Specker theorem is a subject of ongoing controversy. A central issu... more The testability of the Kochen-Specker theorem is a subject of ongoing controversy. A central issue is that experimental implementations relying on sequential measurements cannot achieve perfect compatibility between the measurements and that therefore the notion of noncontextuality is not well defined. We demonstrate by an explicit model that such compatibility violations may yield a violation of noncontextuality inequalities, even if we assume that the incompatibilities merely originate from context-independent noise. We show, however, that this problem can be circumvented by combining the ideas behind Leggett-Garg inequalities with those of the Kochen-Specker theorem.

Jochen Szangolies contributes a novel way of dealing with the problem of the experimental testabi... more Jochen Szangolies contributes a novel way of dealing with the problem of the experimental testability of the Kochen-Specker theorem posed by realistic, that is, noisy, measurements. Such noise spoils perfect compatibility between successive measurements, which however is a necessary requirement to test the notion of contextuality in usual approaches. To overcome this difficulty, a new, extended notion of contextuality that reduces to Kochen-Specker contextuality in the limit of perfect measurement implementations is proposed by the author, together with a scheme to test this notion experimentally. Furthermore, the behaviour of these tests under realistic noise conditions is investigated.

Research at the intersection of quantum gravity and quantum information theory has seen significa... more Research at the intersection of quantum gravity and quantum information theory has seen significant success in describing the emergence of spacetime and gravity from quantum states whose entanglement entropy approximately obeys an area law. In a different direction, the Kaluza-Klein proposal aims to recover gauge symmetries by means of dimensional reduction of higher-dimensional gravitational theories. Integrating both, gravitational and gauge degrees of freedom in 3 + 1 dimensions may be obtained upon dimensional reduction of higher-dimensional emergent gravity. To this end, we show that entangled systems of two and three qubits can be associated with 5 + 1 and 9 + 1 dimensional spacetimes respectively, which are reduced to 3 + 1 dimensions upon singling out a preferred complex direction. In the latter case, this reduction is invariant under a residual SU (3) × SU (2) × U (1)/Z 6 symmetry, the Standard Model gauge group. This motivates a picture in which spacetime emerges from the area law-contribution to the entanglement entropy, while gauge and matter degrees of freedom are due to area law-violating terms. We remark on a possible natural origin of the chirality of the weak force in the given construction.