Mutual information in coupled double quantum dots

Abstract

The integrated information theory is thought to be a key clue towards the theoretical understanding of consciousness. In this study, we propose a simple numerical model comprising a set of coupled double quantum dots, where the disconnection of the elements is represented by the removal of Coulomb interaction between the quantum dots, for the quantitative investigation of integrated information. As a measure of integrated information, we calculate the mutual information in the model system, as the Kullback–Leibler divergence between the connected and disconnected status, through the probability distribution of the electronic states from the master transition-rate equations. We reasonably demonstrate that the increase in the strength of interaction between the quantum dots leads to higher mutual information, owing to the larger divergence in the probability distributions of the electronic states. Our model setup could be a useful basic tool for numerical analyses in the field of integrated information theory.