The notion of genuine three-particle non-locality introduced by Svetlichny \cite{Svetlichny} is discussed. Svetlichny's inequality which can distinguish between genuine three-particle non-locality and two-particle non-locality is analyzed by reinterpreting it as a frustrated network of correlations. Its quantum mechanical maximum violation is derived and a situation is presented that produces the maximum violation. It is shown that the measurements performed in recent experiments to demonstrate GHZ entanglement \cite{Bouwmeester}, \cite{Pan} do not allow this inequality to be violated, and hence can not be taken as confirmation of genuine three-particle non-locality. Modifications to the experiments that would make such a confirmation possible are discussed.
We prove that for a three-qubit system in the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) state, locality per se is in conflict with the perfect GHZ correlations. The proof does not in any way use the realism assumption and can lead to a refutation of locality. We also provide inequalities that are imposed by locality. The experimental confirmation of the present reasoning may imply a genuine quantum nonlocality and will deepen our understanding of nonlocality of nature.
We prove that recent theorems of non-locality without inequalities are not effective, for systems of two spacelike separated 2-level sub-systems, in proving non-locality of any empirically valid theory sharing a set of correlations with quantum theory.
We study the role of entanglement and non-locality in quantum protocols that make use of systems of identical particles. Unlike in the case of distinguishable particles, the notions of entanglement and non-locality for systems whose constituents cannot be distinguished and singly addressed are still debated. We clarify why the only approach that avoids incongruities and paradoxes is the one based on the second quantization formalism whereby it is the entanglement of the modes that can be populated by the particles what really matters and not the particles themselves. Indeed, by means of a metr…
Quantum non-locality is normally defined via violations of Bell's inequalities that exclude certain classical hidden variable theories from explaining quantum correlations. Another definition of non-locality refers to the wave-function collapse thereby one can prepare a quantum state from arbitrary far away. In both cases one can debate on whether non-locality is a real physical phenomenon, e.g. one can employ formulations of quantum mechanics that does not use collapse, or one can simply refrain from explaining quantum correlations via classical hidden variables. Here we point out that there …
We construct a space of ideal elements (particles and their paths) to analyze certain aspects of quantum physics. The particles are taken from a model of particle interaction first described by David Deutsch (based on a different but related framework, that of MWI), and the paths are based on Richard Feynman's path-integral formulation of quantum mechanics. By combining the two systems we develop a new approach to quantum mechanics that eliminates various quantum paradoxes.
This work provides a comprehensive approach to analyze the entanglement between subsystems generated by identical particles, based on the symmetric/exterior algebra (SEA) and microcausality. Our method amends the no-labeling approach (NLA) to quantify any type of identical particles' entanglement, especially fermions with the parity superselection rule. We can analyze the non-local properties of identical particles' states in a fundamentally equivalent way to those for non-identical particles, which is achieved by the factorizability of the total Hilbert space of identical particles. This form…
Quantum correlations are critical to our understanding of nature, with far-reaching technological and fundamental impact. These often manifest as violations of Bell's inequalities, bounds derived from the assumptions of locality and realism, concepts integral to classical physics. Many tests of Bell's inequalities have studied pairs of correlated particles; however, the immense interest in multi-particle quantum correlations is driving the experimental frontier to test systems beyond just pairs. All experimental violations of Bell's inequalities to date require supplementary assumptions, openi…
Neutron interference measurements with macroscopic beam separation allow to study the influence of magnetic fields on spin properties. By calculating the interaction energy with a dynamic and deterministic model, we are able to establish that the phase shift on one component of the neutron beam is linear with magnetic intensity, and equally, that interaction energy as well as phase shifts do not depend on the orientation of the magnetic field. The theoretical treatment allows the conclusion that the non-local properties of particle spin derive from the classical equation for interaction energy…
We show that the extensions of quantum correlations stemming from a "strict" interpretation of the criterion of reality of Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen raise the inadequacy of their ideal experiment for the assignment of simultaneous elements of reality to two incompatible properties. Then, we suggest a different physical situation enabling the simultaneous assignment of objective values of two incompatible observables of a spin particle by means of measurements of two compatible properties of a second correlated spin particle.
The quantum theoretical concepts of modular momentum and dynamical non-locality, which were introduced four decades ago, have recently been used to explain single particle quantum interference phenomena. Although the non-local exchange of modular momentum associated with such phenomena cannot be directly observed, it has been suggested that effects induced by this exchange can be measured experimentally using weak measurements of pre- and post-selected ensembles of particles. This paper reports on such an optical experiment that yielded measured weak values that were consistent with the theore…
This article presents a local realistic interpretation of quantum entanglement. The entanglement is explained as innate interference between the non-empty state associated with the peaked piece of one particle and the empty states associated with the non-peaked pieces of the others of entangled particles, which inseparably join together. The correlation of the results of measurements on the ensemble of composite entangled systems is related to this kind of interference. Consequently, there is no nonlocal influence between entangled particles in measurements. Particularly, this explanation thus…
Wave-particle duality, superposition and entanglement are among the most counterintuitive features of quantum theory. Their clash with our classical expectations motivated hidden-variable (HV) theories. With the emergence of quantum technologies we can test experimentally the predictions of quantum theory {\em versus} HV theories and put strong restrictions on their key assumptions. Here we study an entanglement-assisted version of the quantum delayed-choice experiment and show that the extension of HV to the controlling devices only exacerbates the contradiction. We compare HV theories that s…
We review the computation of correlations of successive projections of the spin onto axes for spin-1/2 particles and EPRB pairs (in the Singlet state). We assume forms of Realism (at least as general as the Predictive Hidden Variables in the classical Bell's Theory), to review one particle correlations before we further assume Locality and analyze EPRB pairs. To our surprise, we find that the Abstract Bell Inequalities with three or four axes cannot have physical meaning i.e., two spin projections cannot belong to one particle or some correlations that one would need cannot be evaluated. A rec…
The dynamics of a particle in an expanding cavity is investigated in the Klein-Gordon framework in a regime in which the single particle picture remains valid. The cavity expansion represents a time-dependent boundary condition for the relativistic wavefunction. We show that this expansion induces a non-local effect on the current density throughout the cavity. Our results indicate that a relativistic treatment still contains apparently spurious effects traditionally associated with the unbounded velocities inherent to non-relativistic solutions obtained from the Schroedinger equation. Possibl…
It is said about quantum interference that "In reality, it contains the only mystery". Indeed, together with non-locality it is often considered as the characteristic feature of quantum theory which can not be explained in any classical way. In this work we are concerned with a restricted setting of a single particle propagating in multi-path interferometric circuits, that is physical realisation of a qudit. It is shown that this framework, including collapse of the wave function, can be simulated with classical resources without violating the locality principle. We present a local ontological…
We point out a loophole problem in some recent experimental claims to produce three-particle entanglement. The problem consists in the question whether mixtures of two-particle entangled states might suffice to explain the experimental data. In an attempt to close this loophole, we review two sufficient conditions that distinguish between N-particle states in which all N particles are entangled to each other and states in which only M particles are entangled (with M<N). It is shown that three recent experiments to obtain three-particle entangled states (Bouwmeester et al., Pan et al., and Raus…
In all local realistic theories worked out till now, locality is considered as a basic assumption. Most people in the field consider the inconsistency between local realistic theories and quantum mechanics to be a result of non-local nature of quantum mechanics. In this Paper, we derive the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger type theorem for particles with instantaneous (non-local) interactions at the hidden-variable level. Then, we show that the previous contradiction still exists between quantum mechanics and non-local hidden variable models.
We consider the question of whether it is possible to use the entanglement between spatially separated modes of massive particles to observe nonlocal quantum correlations. Mode entanglement can be obtained using a single particle, indicating that it requires careful consideration before concluding whether experimental observation, e.g. violation of Bell inequalities, is possible or not. In the simplest setups analogous to optics experiments, that observation is prohibited by fundamental conservation laws. However, we show that using auxiliary particles, mode entanglement can be converted into …
Joint, or simultaneous, measurements of non-commuting observables are possible within quantum mechanics, if one accepts an increase in the variances of the jointly measured observables. In this paper, we discuss joint measurements of a spin 1/2 particle along any two directions. Starting from an operational locality principle, it is shown how to obtain a bound on how sharp the joint measurement can be. We give a direct interpretation of this bound in terms of an uncertainty relation.
In a standard interferometry experiment, one measures the phase difference between two paths by recombining the two wave packets on a beam-splitter. However, it has been recently recognized that the phase can also be estimated via local measurements, by using an ancillary particle in a known superposition state. In this work, we further analyse these protocols for different types of particles (bosons or fermions, charged or uncharged), with a particular emphasis on the subtleties that arise when the phase is due to the coupling to an abelian gauge field. In that case, we show that the measurab…
Entanglement is one of the strongest quantum correlation, and is a key ingredient in fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics and a resource for quantum technologies. While entanglement theory is well settled for distinguishable particles, there are five inequivalent approaches to entanglement of indistinguishable particles. We analyse the different definitions of indistinguishable particle entanglement in the light of the locality notion. This notion is specified by two steps: i) the identification of subsystems by means of their local operators; ii) the requirement that entanglement represen…
Experiments motivated by predictions of quantum mechanics indicate non-trivial correlations between spacelike-separated measurements. The phenomenon is referred to as a violation of strong-locality and, after Einstein, called ghostly action at a distance. An intriguing and previously unasked question is how the evolution of an assembly of particles to equilibrium-state relates to strong-locality. More specifically, whether, with this respect, indistinguishable particles differ from distinguishable ones. To address the question, we introduce a Markov-chain based framework over a finite set of m…
We analyze Hardy's non-locality argument for two spin-s systems and show that earlier solution in this regard was restricted due to imposition of some conditions which have no role in the argument of non-locality. We provide a compact form of non-locality condition for two spin-s systems and extend it to n number of spin-s particles. We also apply more general kind of non-locality argument still without inequality, to higher spin system.
We present a local interpretation of what is usually considered to be a nonlocal de Broglie-Bohm trajectory prescription for an entangled singlet state of massive particles. After reviewing various meanings of the term ``nonlocal'', we show that by using appropriately retarded wavefunctions (i.e., the locality loophole) this local model can violate Bell's inequality, without making any appeal to detector inefficiencies. We analyze a possible experimental configuration appropriate to massive two-particle singlet wavefunctions and find that as long as the particles are not ultra-relativistic, a …
The paper explains why an ontology of permanent point particles that are individuated by their relative positions and that move on continuous trajectories as given by a deterministic law of motion constitutes the best solution to the measurement problem in both quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. This case is made by comparing the Bohmian theory to collapse theories such as the GRW matter density and the GRW flash theory. It is argued that the Bohmian theory makes the minimal changes, concerning only the dynamics and neither the ontology nor the account of probabilities, that are neces…
By utilizing single particle interferometry, the fidelity or coherence of a pair of quantum states is identified with their capacity for interference. We consider processes acting on the internal degree of freedom (e.g., spin or polarization) of the interfering particle, preparing it in states ρ_{A} or ρ_{B} in the respective path of the interferometer. The maximal visibility depends on the choice of interferometer, as well as the locality or non-locality of the preparations, but otherwise depends only on the states ρ_{A} and ρ_{B} and not the individual preparation processes themselves. This …
It is well known that entangled quantum states can be nonlocal: the correlations between local measurements carried out on these states cannot always be reproduced by local hidden variable models. Svetlichny, followed by others, showed that multipartite quantum states are even more nonlocal than bipartite ones in the sense that nonlocal classical models with (super-luminal) communication between some of the parties cannot reproduce the quantum correlations. Here we study in detail the kinds of nonlocality present in quantum states. More precisely we enquire what kinds of classical communicatio…
Bohmian mechanics reproduces all statistical predictions of quantum mechanics, which ensures that entanglement cannot be used for superluminal signaling. However, individual Bohmian particles can experience superluminal influences. We propose to illustrate this point using a double double-slit setup with path-entangled photons. The Bohmian velocity field for one of the photons can be measured using a recently demonstrated weak-measurement technique. The found velocities strongly depend on the value of a phase shift that is applied to the other photon, potentially at spacelike separation.
We show that probability is locally conserved in discrete time quantum walks, corresponding to a particle evolving in discrete space and time. In particular, for a spatial structure represented by an arbitrary directed graph, and any unitary evolution of a particle which respects that locality structure, we can define probability currents which also respect the locality structure and which yield the correct final probability distribution.
The three-box problem is a gedankenexperiment designed to elucidate some interesting features of quantum measurement and locality. A particle is prepared in a particular superposition of three boxes, and later found in a different (but nonorthogonal) superposition. It was predicted that appropriate "weak" measurements of particle position in the interval between preparation and post-selection would find the particle in two different places, each with certainty. We verify these predictions in an optical experiment and address the issues of locality and of negative probability.
We discuss the problem of hidden variables and the motivation for introducting them in quantum mechanics. These include determinism, and the problem of meassurement and incompleteness. We first discuss Von-Neumann's imposisbility proof and then analyse it's weakness in terms of Bell's explicit hidden variable model of spin one-half particles. We next discuss Gleason's theorem and Kochen-Specker theorem and bring out the troublems with non contextual hidden variable theories. An important role is played by Einstein locality in the discussion of hidden variable theories as was first brought out …
We examine the locality assumption of Bell's theorem in three steps of EPRB experiment. Depending on the context, locality is embodied in the conditions of separability, local causality, factorizability, relativistic causality, and non-contextuality. We show that separability, characterized by the constraint of zero covariance, is equivalent to local causality which leads to factorizability through the measurement process. Factorizability is the conjunction of parameter independence and outcome independence. It is commonly believed that relativistic causality is equivalent to parameter indepen…
The long-standing puzzle of the nonlocal Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen correlations is resolved. The correct quantum mechanical correlations arise for the case of entangled particles when strict locality is assumed for the probability amplitudes instead of locality for probabilities. Locality of amplitudes implies that measurement on one particle does not collapse the companion particle to a definite state.
In all local realistic theories worked out till now, locality is considered as a basic assumption. Most people in the field consider the inconsistency between local realistic theories and quantum mechanics to be a result of non-local nature of quantum mechanics. In this paper, we derive Bell's inequality for particles with instantaneous interactions, and show that the aforementioned contradiction still exists between quantum mechanics and non-local hidden variable models. Then, we use this non-locality to obtain the GHZ theorem. In what follows, we show that Bacon and Toner's protocol, for the…
The realization of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen effect by the correlation of spin projections of two particles created in the decay of a single scalar particle is considered for particles propagating in gravitational field. The absence of a global definition of spatial directions makes it unclear whether the correlation may exist in this case and, if yes, what directions in distant regions must be correlated. It is shown that in a gravitational field an approximate correlation may exist and the correlated directions are connected with each other by the parallel transport along the world lines o…
We undertake a detailed analysis of the non-local properties of the fundamental problem of two trapped, distinguishable neutral atoms which interact with a short range potential characterised by an s-wave scattering length. We show that this interaction generates continuous variable (CV) entanglement between the external degrees of freedom of the atoms and consider its behaviour as a function of both, the distance between the traps and the magnitude of the inter-particle scattering length. We first quantify the entanglement in the ground state of the system at zero temperature and then, adopti…
The quantized canonical space-time coordinates of a relativistic point particle are expressed in terms of the elements of a complex Clifford algebra which combines the complex properties of SL(2.C) and quantum mechanics. When the quantum measurement principle is adapted to the generating space of the Clifford algebra we find that the transition probabilities for twofold degenerate paths in space-time equals the transition amplitudes for the underlying paths in Clifford space. This property is used to show that the apparent non-locality of quantum mechanics in a double slit experiment and in an…
The problem of quantum state reduction in the process of measurement has attracted attention of almost everyone who created, developed or explained quantum physics to the students. Absence of a solution is the basis for the statement that the physical laws alone are not enough to describe the reduction of state of the measured particle. In the presented study, it is taken into account that the measurement of all properties of quantum particles can not be carried out in one physical process (the no-cloning theorem). For such a measurement several series of incompatible observations are needed, …
A generalization of the standard model of Dirac particle in external electromagnetic field is proposed. In the generalization we take into account interactions of this particle with environment, which is described by the memory function. This function takes into account that the behavior of the particle at proper time can depend not only at the present time, but also on the history of changes on finite time interval. In this case the Dirac particle can be considered an open quantum system with non-Markovian dynamics. The violation of the semigroup property of dynamic maps is a characteristic p…
Integrating out virtual quantum fluctuations in an originally local quantum field theory results in an effective theory which is non-local. In this Letter we argue that tunneling of the 3rd kind - where particles traverse a barrier by splitting into a pair of virtual particles which recombine only after a finite distance - provides a direct test of this non-locality. We sketch a quantum-optical setup to test this effect, and investigate observable effects in a simple toy model.
Local realism has been knocked down by the experiments with entangled pairs of particles based on Bell's theorem(J. S. Bell, Physics (Long Island City, N.Y.) 1, 195 (1964)). However, there has been continuing debate on whether locality or realism is the problem. In this work, we analyzed the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen thought experiment of Bohm's version using information theory and thermodynamics. The inference of non-locality from EPR experiments will be against the principle of non-realism of quantum mechanics. Therefore, the experiments about quantum entanglement cannot provide any proof to a…
Majorana fermions (MFs) are exotic particles that are their own anti-particles. Recently, the search for the MFs occurring as quasi-particle excitations in solid-state systems has attracted widespread interest, because of their fundamental importance in fundamental physics and potential applications in topological quantum computation based on solid-state devices. Here we study the quantum correlations between two spatially separate quantum dots induced by a pair of MFs emerging at the two ends of a semiconductor nanowire, in order to develop a new method for probing the MFs. We find that witho…
We attempt to pull together various lines of research whose ultimate conclusion points to the actual ``locality'' of Quantum Mechanics (QM). We note that just as John Bell discovered various errors in previous ``proofs'' of the completeness of QM, he made an error of his own in deriving the ``non-locality'' of QM. We show that QM satisfies the correct locality bound for non-commuting variables -- and is therefore local for 2 or more particles. We further show that the entangled wavefunctions that produce non-local de-Broglie-Bohm guidance equations are an artifact of First Quantization, and th…
It is currently believed that the local causality of Quantum Field Theory (QFT) is destroyed by the measurement process. This belief is also based on the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox and on the so-called Bell's theorem, that are thought to prove the existence of a mysterious, instantaneous action between distant measurements. However, I have shown recently that the EPR argument is removed, in an interpretation-independent way, by taking into account the fact that the Standard Model of Particle Physics prevents the production of entangled states with a definite number of particles. Thi…
We study the effects of Lorentz transformations on three-particle non-local system states (GHZ and W) of spin 1/2 particles, using the Pauli spin operator and a three-particle generalization of Bell's inequality, introduced by Svetlichny. In our setup, the moving and laboratory frames used the (same) set of measurement directions that maximally violate Svetlichny's inequality in the laboratory frame. We also investigate the behavior of Mermin's and Collins' inequalities. We find that, regardless of the particles' type of entanglement, violation of Svetlichny's inequality in the moving frame is…
A well-known property of quantum nonlocality is monogamy. However, recent research by Silva \emph{et al.} shows that multiple observers can share the nonlocality by using weak measurements [Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 250401 (2015)]. There is an open question left in their result: whether the nonlocality of a single particle from an entangled pair can be shared among more than two observers that act sequentially and independently of each other? In this work, we analytical and numerical shows that it is possible to observe a triple violation of CHSH inequality between Alice and three Bobs when the me…
In recent years two fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics have attracted a great deal of interest, namely the investigation on the irreducible nonlocal properties of Nature implied by quantum entanglement and the physical realization of the 'Schroedinger Cat'. In the present work a macro - state consisting of about 3.5 x 10^4 photons in a quantum superposition and entangled with a far apart single - photon state is generated. Then, the non-separability of the overall micro-macro system is demonstrated and the corresponding Bell's inequalities are found to be violated. Precisely, an entangle…
Inspired by Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen-Bohm experiments with photons, we construct an event-based simulation model in which every essential element in the ideal experiment has a counterpart. The model satisfies Einstein's criteria of local causality and does not rely on concepts of quantum and probability theory. We consider experiments in which the averages correspond to those of a singlet and product state of a system of two $S=1/2$ particles. The data is analyzed according to the experimental procedure, employing a time window to identify pairs. We study how the time window and the passage tim…
Principle of locality means that any local change (perturbation) of the stationary state wave function field propagates with finite speed, and therefore reaches distant regions of the field with time delay. If a one-particle or multi-particle non-relativistic quantum system is initially in a stationary state, and its wave function field is locally perturbed, then perturbed and non-perturbed sub-regions appear in the region. According to Schrödinger equation, borders of the perturbed sub-region propagate with infinite speed, and the perturbation instantaneously affects all infinite region. It m…
Addressing the feasibilty of quantum communication with electrons we consider entangled spin states of electrons in a double-dot which is weakly coupled to in--and outgoing leads. We show that the entanglement of two electrons in the double-dot can be detected in mesoscopic transport and noise measurements. In the Coulomb blockade and cotunneling regime the singlet and triplet states lead to phase-coherent current and noise contributions of opposite signs and to Aharonov-Bohm and Berry phase oscillations in response to magnetic fields. These oscillations are a genuine two-particle effect and p…
We explore a connection between monogamy of non-locality and a weak macroscopic locality condition: the locality of the average behaviour. These are revealed by our analysis as being two sides of the same coin. Moreover, we exhibit a structural reason for both in the case of Bell-type multipartite scenarios, shedding light on but also generalising the results in the literature [Ramanathan et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 060405 (2001); Pawlowski & Brukner, Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 030403 (2009)]. More specifically, we show that, provided the number of particles in each site is large enough compared …
