Statistical Mechanics of Information Processing : An Application to Error Correcting Codes

Abstract

Statistical mechanics for equilibrium systems which are described by the Boltzmann distribution can be regarded as a tool box for calculating various averages from large scale probabilistic models. This implies that there is no reason for restricting its employment to natural phenomenon. In this article, we explore a possible extension of statistical mechanics to topics in information sciences illustrating a recent application of spin glass theory to error-correcting codes.