Internal Turing Machines

Abstract

Using nonstandard analysis, we will extend the classical Turing machines into the internal Turing machines. The internal Turing machines have the capability to work with infinite ($*$-finite) number of bits while keeping the finite combinatoric structures of the classical Turing machines. We will show the following. The internal deterministic Turing machines can do in $*$-polynomial time what a classical deterministic Turing machine can do in an arbitrary finite amount of time. Given an element of $ \in HALT$ (more precisely, the $*$-embedding of $HALT$), there is an internal deterministic Turing machine which will take $ $ as input and halt in the $"yes"$ state. The language ${}^*Halt$ can not be decided by the internal deterministic Turing machines. The internal deterministic Turing machines can be viewed as the asymptotic behavior of finite precision approximation to real number computations. It is possible to use the internal probabilistic Turing machines to simulate finite state quantum mechanics with infinite precision. This simulation suggests that no information can be transmitted instantaneously and at the same time, the Turing machine model can simulate instantaneous collapse of the wave function. The internal deterministic Turing machines are powerful, but if $P \neq NP$, then there are internal problems which the internal deterministic Turing machines can solve but not in $*$-polynomial time.