The noncontextuality of quantum mechanics can be directly tested by measuring two entangled particles with more than two outcomes per particle. The two associated contexts are "interlinked" by common observables.
There are two different and logically independent concepts of noncontextuality in quantum mechanics. First, an ontological (hidden variable) model for quantum mechanics is called noncontextual if every ontic (hidden) state determines the probability of the outcomes of every measurement independently of what other measurements are simultaneously performed. Second, an ontological model is noncontextual if any two measurements which are represented by the same self-adjoint operator or, equivalently, which have the same probability distribution of outcomes in every quantum state also have the same…
Quantum contextuality is one of the fundamental notions in quantum mechanics. Proofs of the Kochen-Specker theorem and noncontextuality inequalities are two means for revealing the contextuality phenomenon in quantum mechanics. It has been found that some proofs of the Kochen-Specker theorem, such as those based on rays, can be converted to a state-independent noncontextuality inequality, but it remains open whether it is true in general, i.e., whether any proof of the Kochen-Specker theorem can always be converted to a noncontextuality inequality. In this paper, we address this issue. We prov…
Conditional density matrix represents a quantum state of subsystem in different schemes of quantum communication. Here we discuss some properties of conditional density matrix and its place in general scheme of quantum mechanics.
In terms of a suitable variant of the EPR-Bohm example, we argue that the quantum mechanically predicted and experimentally verified violation of a Bell-type path-spin noncontextual realist inequality for an `intraparticle' path-spin entanglement involving single neutrons can be used to infer a form of nonlocality, distinct from Bell-type nonlocality, that is required for any relevant hidden variable model to be compatible with the quantum mechanical treatment of an EPR-Bohm-type `interparticle' entanglement.
The noncontextuality condition states that a value of any observable is independent of which other compatible observable is measured jointly with it. Klyachko, Can, Binicio{ğ}lu, and Shumovsky have introduced an inequality which holds if there is a noncontextual hidden variable theory. It is called KCBS inequality, which is state-dependent. Its violation shows a contradiction between predictions of quantum theory and noncontextual hidden variable theories. In the present paper, it is shown that there is a state which does not violate KCBS inequality in the case of quantum mechanics of finite d…
Elaborating on a previous work by Simon et al. [PRL 85, 1783 (2000)] we propose a realizable quantum optical single-photon experiment using standard present day technology, capable of discriminating maximally between the predictions of quantum mechanics (QM) and noncontextual hidden variable theories (NCHV). Quantum mechanics predicts a gross violation (up to a factor of 2) of the noncontextual Bell-like inequality associated with the proposed experiment. An actual maximal violation of this inequality would demonstrate (modulo fair sampling) an all-or-nothing type contradiction between QM and …
The quest for fundamental test of quantum mechanics is an ongoing effort. We here address the question of what are the lowest possible moments needed to prove quantum nonlocality and noncontextuality without any further assumption -- in particular without the often assumed dichotomy. We first show that second order correlations can always be explained by a classical noncontextual local-hidden-variable theory. Similar third-order correlations also cannot violate classical inequalities in general, except for a special state-dependent noncontextuality. However, we show that fourth-order correlati…
Meyer recently queried whether non-contextual hidden variable models can, despite the Kochen-Specker theorem, simulate the predictions of quantum mechanics to within any fixed finite experimental precision. Clifton and Kent have presented constructions of non-contextual hidden variable theories which, they argued, indeed simulate quantum mechanics in this way. These arguments have evoked some controversy. One aim of this paper is to respond to and rebut criticisms of the MCK papers. We thus elaborate in a little more detail how the CK models can reproduce the predictions of quantum mechanics t…
Recently, a striking experimental demonstration [G. Kirchmair \emph{et al.}, Nature, \textbf{460}, 494(2009)] of the state-independent quantum mechanical violation of non-contextual realist models has been reported for any two-qubit state using suitable choices of \emph{nine} product observables and \emph{six} different measurement setups. In this report, a considerable simplification of such a demonstration is achieved by formulating a scheme that requires only \emph{five} product observables and \emph{two} different measurement setups. It is also pointed out that the relevant empirical data …
The inequalities that separate contextual from noncontextual correlations for the n-cycle scenario (consisting of n dichotomic observables Oj, with j = 0, ..., n-1 and such that Oj and Oj+1 are jointly measurable) have been recently identified [arXiv:1206.3212 (2012)]. Here we report the results of an experiment designed to reach the maximum quantum violation of these inequalities for any even number of observables ranging from 4 to 14. The four dimensional Hilbert space required for the test was spanned by two photonic qubits encoded in the transversal path of photon pairs, and the joint meas…
The notion of (non)contextuality pertains to sets of properties measured one subset (context) at a time. We extend this notion to include so-called inconsistently connected systems, in which the measurements of a given property in different contexts may have different distributions, due to contextual biases in experimental design or physical interactions (signaling): a system of measurements has a maximally noncontextual description if they can be imposed a joint distribution on in which the measurements of any one property in different contexts are equal to each other with the maximal probabi…
Quantum mechanics provides a statistical description about nature, and thus would be incomplete if its statistical predictions could not be accounted for by some realistic models with hidden variables. There are, however, two powerful theorems against the hidden-variable theories showing that certain quantum features cannot be reproduced based on two rationale premises of locality, Bell's theorem, and noncontextuality, due to Bell, Kochen and Specker (BKS). Noncontextuality is independent of nonlocality, and the contextuality manifests itself even in a single object. Here we report an experime…
To make precise the sense in which nature fails to respect classical physics, one requires a formal notion of classicality. Ideally, such a notion should be defined operationally, so that it can be subjected to a direct experimental test, and it should be applicable in a wide variety of experimental scenarios, so that it can cover the breadth of phenomena that are thought to defy classical understanding. Bell's notion of local causality fulfills the first criterion but not the second. The notion of noncontextuality fulfills the second criterion, but it is a long-standing question whether it ca…
When a measurement is compatible with each of two other measurements that are incompatible with one another, these define distinct contexts for the given measurement. The Kochen-Specker theorem rules out models of quantum theory that satisfy a particular assumption of context-independence: that sharp measurements are assigned outcomes both deterministically and independently of their context. This notion of noncontextuality is not suited to a direct experimental test because realistic measurements always have some degree of unsharpness due to noise. However, a generalized notion of noncontextu…
The presence of contextuality in quantum theory was first highlighted by Bell, Kochen and Specker, who discovered that for quantum systems of three or more dimensions, measurements cannot be viewed as revealing pre-existing properties of the system. More precisely, no model can assign deterministic outcomes to the projectors of a quantum measurement in a way that depends only on the projector and not the context (the full set of projectors) in which it appeared, despite the fact that the Born rule probabilities associated with projectors are independent of the context. A more general, operatio…
Testing a continuous-variable noncontextuality inequality with a hybrid-encoded system
The Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen(哥本哈根大学尼尔斯·玻尔研究所);Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark(丹麦技术大学物理系);Experimental Physics VI, Faculty for Physics and Astronomy, Ruhr University Bochum(波鸿鲁尔大学物理与天文学院实验物理第六研究所)
A novel approach for analyzing "classical" alternatives to quantum mechanics for explaining the statistical results of an EPRB-like experiment is proposed. This perspective is top-down instead of bottom-up. Rather than beginning with an inequality derivation, a hierarchy of model types is constructed, each distinguished by appropriately parameterized conditional probabilities. This hierarchy ranks the "classical" model types in terms of their ability to reproduce QM statistics or not. The analysis goes beyond the usual consideration of model types that "fall short" (i.e., satisfy all of the CH…
We report two fundamental experiments on three-level quantum systems (qutrits). The first one tests the simplest task for which quantum mechanics provides an advantage with respect to classical physics. The quantum advantage is certified by the violation of Wright's inequality, the simplest classical inequality violated by quantum mechanics. In the second experiment, we obtain contextual correlations by sequentially measuring pairs of compatible observables on a qutrit, and show the violation of Klyachko et al.'s inequality, the most fundamental noncontextuality inequality violated by qutrits.…
We argue that for a \emph{single particle} Bell's inequality is a consequence of noncontextuality and is \emph{incompatible} with statistical predictions of quantum mechanics. Thus noncontextual models can be empirically falsified, \emph{independent} of locality condition. For this an appropriate entanglement between \emph{disjoint} Hilbert spaces pertaining to translational and spin degrees of freedom of a single spin-1/2 particle is invoked
Experimental tests of Bell-type inequalities distinguishing between quantum mechanics and local realistic theories remain of considerable interest if performed on massive particles, for which no conclusive result has yet been obtained. Only two-particle experiments may specifically test the concept of spatial nonlocality in quantum theory, whereas single-particle experiments may generally test the concept of quantum noncontextuality. Here we have performed the first Bell-type experiment with a beam of thermal-neutron pairs in the singlet state of spin, as originally suggested by J. S. Bell. Th…
Quantum mechanics provides a statistical description about nature, and thus would be incomplete if its statistical predictions could not be accounted for some realistic models with hidden variables. There are, however, two powerful theorems against the hidden-variable theories showing that certain quantum features cannot be reproduced based on two rationale premises of classicality, the Bell theorem, and noncontextuality, due to Bell, Kochen and Specker (BKS) . Tests of the Bell inequality and the BKS theorem are both of fundamental interests and of great significance . The Bell theorem has al…
Conventional approach to quantum mechanics in phase space, (q,p), is to take the operator based quantum mechanics of Schrodinger, or and equivalent, and assign a c-number function in phase space to it. We propose to begin with a higher level of abstraction, in which the independence and the symmetric role of q and p is maintained throughout, and at once arrive at phase space state functions. Upon reduction to the q- or p-space the proposed formalism gives the conventional quantum mechanics, however, with a definite rule for ordering of factors of non commuting observables. Further conceptual a…
The Weyl-Wigner map yields the entire structure of Moyal quantum mechanics directly from the standard operator formulation. The covariant generalization of Moyal theory, also known as Vey quantum mechanics, was presented in the literature many years ago. However, a derivation of the formalism directly from standard operator quantum mechanics, clarifying the relation between the two formulations is still missing. In this paper we present a covariant generalization of the Weyl order prescription and of the Weyl-Wigner map and use them to derive Vey quantum mechanics directly from the standard op…
In quantum mechanics, it is often thought that the spin of an object points in a fixed direction at any point in time. For example, after selecting the z-direction as the axis of quantization, a spin-1/2 object (such as an electron) may either point up or down. The spin can also be a linear combination of these two states, in which case, there is an axis in another direction in which the spin points in that direction. In this article, we focus on the spin-spin-1/2 case and point out that spin may not necessarily point in a fixed direction, a phenomenon that we call twisted spin. We argue that …
A view of emission and absorption of photons by atoms, which was proposed by Max Planck, is recalled. A direct experiment that could corroborate or refute that view is defined.
Quantum entanglement of mechanical systems emerges when distinct objects move with such a high degree of correlation that they can no longer be described separately. Although quantum mechanics presumably applies to objects of all sizes, directly observing entanglement becomes challenging as masses increase, requiring measurement and control with a vanishingly small error. Here, using pulsed electromechanics, we deterministically entangle two mechanical drumheads with masses of 70 pg. Through nearly quantum-limited measurements of the position and momentum quadratures of both drums, we perform …
We examine the visualization of quantum mechanics in phase space by means of the Wigner function and the Wigner function flow as a complementary approach to illustrating quantum mechanics in configuration space by wave functions. The Wigner function formalism resembles the mathematical language of classical mechanics of non-interacting particles. Thus, it allows a more direct comparison between classical and quantum dynamical features.
A two-time quantum theory of a system of two particles with the direct electromagnetic interaction based on a quantum version of the action principle is considered. An analog of Schrodinger equation for the system is obtained.
It is shown that Feynman's formulation of quantum mechanics can be reproduced as a description of the set of intermediate cardinality. Properties of the set follow directly from the independence of the continuum hypothesis. Six referee reports of Physical Review Letters, Europhysics Letters, and Journal of Physics A are enclosed.
We investigate direct observation of quantum nonlocality without reference to theoretical models (including Bell theorem) except quantum mechanics, with a bipartite polarization-entangled state in which one photon immediately reduces into a circular-polarization (CP) state after its partner is detected in another CP state. Of essence is the mechanical detection of the CP state of a photon that carries angular momentum and exerts a torque on a half-wave plate whose mechanical motion is then varied. If implemented, the model-independent observation of quantum nonlocality violates Lorentz invaria…
Mechanics can be founded on a principle relating the uncertainty delta-q in the trajectory of an observable particle to its motion relative to the observer. From this principle, p.delta-q=const., p being the q-conjugated momentum, mechanical laws are derived and the meaning of the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian functions are discussed. The connection between the presented principle and Hamilton's Least Action Principle is examined. Wave mechanics and Schrodinger equation appear without additional assumptions by choosing the representation for delta-q in the case the motion is not trajectory descri…
Possible theoretical frameworks for measurement of (arrival) time in the nonrelativistic quantum mechanics are reviewed. It is argued that the ambiguity between indirect measurements by a suitably introduced time operator and direct measurements by a physical clock particle has a counterpart in the corresponding classical framework of measurement of the Newtonian time based on the Hamiltonian mechanics.
We show that the ability to make direct measurements of momentum, in addition to the usual direct measurements of position, allows a simple configuration of two identical mechanical oscillators to be used for broadband back-action-free force metrology. This would eliminate the need for an optical reference oscillator in the scheme of Tsang and Caves [Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 123601 (2010)], along with its associated disadvantages. We also show that if one is restricted to position measurements alone then two copies of the same two-oscillator configuration can be used for narrow-band back-action-f…
A new pure quantum state, isotropic in spin variables, is defined in an extended spin phase space beyond standard quantum mechanics. It allows to represent the entangled singlet state in separable form. The statistical correlations between Alice and Bob measurements become self correlations between hidden spin values for each particle, together with perfect anti correlation between spin values on the pair. Alice determines through measurement on her particle the value of spin in some direction. Spin in another direction is inferred from Bob measurement on the companion. Bell's inequalities are…
We discuss a new realistic interpretation of quantum mechanics based on discontinuous motion of particles. The historical and logical basis of discontinuous motion of particles is given. It proves that if there exists only one kind of physical reality--particles, then the realistic motion of particles described by quantum mechanics should be discontinuous motion. We further denote that protective measurement may provide a direct method to confirm the existence of discontinuous motion of particles.
Direct CP-violating effects in the neutral kaon system result in violations of certain Bell-like inequalities. The new experimental results on the determination of the phenomenological parameter epsilon' allow to dismiss a large class of ``hidden variable'' alternatives to quantum mechanics.
Starting from the quantum mechanics for $N$ particles, we show that we can directly derive the microcanonical ensemble average of the physical quantity $A$ by using only the long time average and the equal probability assumption for the equal energy states. The system is considered to be embedded in the outer world and we describe them in terms of the density matrix method.
A two boundary quantum mechanics incorporating a big bang / big crunch universe is carefully considered. After a short motivation of the concept we address the central question how a proposed a-causal quantum universe can be consistent with what is known about macroscopia and how it might find experimental support.
In finite probability theory, events are subsets of the outcome set. Subsets can be represented by 1-dimensional column vectors. By extending the representation of events to two dimensional matrices, we can introduce "superposition events." Probabilities are introduced for classical events, superposition events, and their mixtures by using density matrices. Then probabilities for experiments or `measurements' of all these events can be determined in a manner exactly like in quantum mechanics (QM) using density matrices. Moreover the transformation of the density matrices induced by the experim…
Intraparticle entanglement-based Random Access Code protocols: Contextuality-enabled quantum advantage and implications
Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER), Mohali(印度科学教育研究学院(Mohali));Korea Research Institute of Standards & Science (KRISS)(韩国标准科学研究院);S. N. Bose National Center for Basic Sciences(S.N. 玻色基础科学国家中心);Raman Research Institute (RRI)(拉曼研究所);Bose Institute(玻色研究所)
Quantum mechanics appears to contain ghosts from both classical statistical mechanics and special relativity. On one hand, both the Dirac and Schrödinger equations have classical analogs that emerge directly from classical statistical mechanics, unimpeded by major problems of interpretation. On the other hand, the formal analytic continuation that takes these classical equations to the quantum version introduces a velocity dependent phase. However, among classical theories, only in relativistic mechanics does one find path-dependent phase in the form of relativistic time dilation. This paper e…
In classical relativistic mechanics, a "preferred" proper direction in spacetime for each particle is determined by the direction of its 4-momentum. Analogously, for each quantum particle we find a local direction uniquely determined by the many-particle wave function, which for each particle defines the proper foliation of spacetime. This can be used to formulate a relativistic-covariant version of Bohmian mechanics, with equivariant probability density on proper hypersurfaces.
In [J. Math. Phys. 51 (2010) 022104] a self-adjoint operator was introduced that has the property that it indicates the direction of time within the framework of standard quantum mechanics, in the sense that as a function of time its expectation value decreases monotonically for any initial state. In this paper we study some of this operator's properties. In particular, we derive its spectrum and generalized eigenstates, and treat the example of the free particle.
The familiar textbook quantum mechanics of laboratory measurements incorporates a quantum mechanical arrow of time --- the direction in time in which state vector reduction operates. This arrow is usually assumed to coincide with the direction of the thermodynamic arrow of the quasiclassical realm of everyday experience. But in the more general context of cosmology we seek an explanation of all observed arrows, and the relations between them, in terms of the conditions that specify our particular universe. This paper investigates quantum mechanical and thermodynamic arrows in a time-neutral fo…
As spin-based quantum technology evolves, the ability to manipulate spin with non-magnetic fields is critical - both for the development of hybrid quantum systems and for compatibility with conventional technology. Particularly useful examples are electric fields, optical fields, and mechanical lattice vibrations. The last of these represents direct spin-phonon coupling, which has garnered fundamental interest as a potential mediator of spin-spin interactions, but could also find applications in high-stability inertial sensing. In this Letter, we demonstrate direct coupling between phonons and…
To begin with, some of the conundrums concerning Quantum Mechanics and its interpretation(s) are recalled. Subsequently, a sketch of the "ETH-Approach to Quantum Mechanics" is presented. This approach yields a logically coherent quantum theory of "events" featured by physical systems and of direct or projective measurements of physical quantities, without the need to invoke "observers". It enables one to determine the stochastic time evolution of states of physical systems. We also briefly comment on the quantum theory of indirect or weak measurements, which is much easier to understand and mo…
The seminal work by T. Kazimierczuk et al. [Nature 514, 343 (2014)] has shown the existence of highly excited exciton states in a regime, where the correspondence principle is applicable and quantum mechanics turns into classical mechanics, however, any interpretation of exciton spectra based on a classical approach to excitons is still missing. Here, we close this gap by computing and comparing quantum mechanical and semiclassical recurrence spectra of cuprous oxide. We show that the quantum mechanical recurrence spectra exhibit peaks, which, by application of semiclassical theories and a sca…
A quantum mechanical model that realizes the $ \mathbb{Z}_2 \times \mathbb{Z}_2$-graded generalization of the one-dimensional supertranslation algebra is proposed. This model shares some features with the well-known Witten model and is related to parasupersymmetric quantum mechanics, though the model is not directly equivalent to either of these. The purpose of this paper is to show that novel "higher gradings" are possible in the context of non-relativistic quantum mechanics.
A famous pre-Newtonian formula for $π$ is obtained directly from the variational approach to the spectrum of the hydrogen atom in spaces of arbitrary dimensions greater than one, including the physical three dimensions.