It is shown that two observers have mutually commuting observables if they are able to prepare in each subsector of their common state space some state exhibiting no mutual correlations. This result establishes a heretofore missing link between statistical and locality (commensurability) properties of the observables of spacelike separated observers in relativistic quantum physics, envisaged four decades ago by Haag and Kastler. It is based on a discussion of coincidence experiments and suggests a physically meaningful quantitative measure of possible violations of Einstein causality.
Bell's theorem states that some quantum correlations can not be represented by classical correlations of separated random variables. It has been interpreted as incompatibility of the requirement of locality with quantum mechanics. We point out that in fact the space part of the wave function was neglected in the proof of Bell's theorem. However this space part is crucial for considerations of property of locality of quantum system. Actually the space part leads to an extra factor in quantum correlations and as a result the ordinary proof of Bell's theorem fails in this case. We present a crite…
Non-locality is a powerful resource for various communication and information theoretic tasks, e.g., to establish a secret key between two parties, or to reduce the communication complexity of distributed computing. Typically, the more non-local a system is, the more useful it is as a resource for such tasks. We address the issue of non-locality distillation, i.e., whether it is possible to create a strongly non-local system by local operations on several weakly non-local ones. More specifically, we consider a setting where non-local systems can be realized via measurements on underlying share…
These lecture notes focus on the application of ideas of locality, in particular Lieb-Robinson bounds, to quantum many-body systems. We consider applications including correlation decay, topological order, a higher dimensional Lieb-Schultz-Mattis theorem, and a nonrelativistic Goldstone theorem. The emphasis is on trying to show the ideas behind the calculations. As a result, the proofs are only sketched with an emphasis on the intuitive ideas behind them, and in some cases we use techniques that give very slightly weaker bounds for simplicity. This is a preliminary version of the lecture note…
Quantum non-locality based on the well-known Bell inequality is of kinematic nature. A different type of quantum non-locality, the non-locality of the quantum equation of motion, is recently put forward with connection to the Aharonov-Bohm effect [Nature Phys. 6, 151 (2010)]. Evolution of the displacement operator provides an example to manifest such dynamic quantum non-locality. We propose an experiment using single-atom interferometry to test such dynamic quantum non-locality. We show how to measure evolution of the displacement operator with clod atoms in a spin-dependent optical lattice po…
We review some recent results that express or rely on the locality properties of the dynamics of quantum spin systems. In particular, we present a slightly sharper version of the recently obtained Lieb-Robinson bound on the group velocity for such systems on a large class of metric graphs. Using this bound we provide expressions of the quasi-locality of the dynamics in various forms, present a proof of the Exponential Clustering Theorem, and discuss a multi-dimensional Lieb-Schultz-Mattis Theorem.
In this paper we make an extensive description of quantum non-locality, one of the most intriguing and fascinating facets of quantum mechanics. After a general presentation of several studies on this subject, we consider if quantum non-locality, and the friction it carries with special relativity, can eventually find a "solution" by considering higher dimensional spaces.
We prove that by adopting a strict interpretation of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen criterion of reality, the proofs of the known non-locality theorems fail in showing that quantum mechanics violates the principle of locality and reality.
A new interpretation of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics explains the violation of Bell's inequality by maintaining realism and the principle of locality.
We discuss the locality problem in relativistic and nonrelativistic quantum theory. We show that there exists a formulation of quantum theory that, on one hand, preserves the mathematical apparatus of the standard quantum mechanics and, on the other hand, ensures the satisfaction of the locality condition for each individual event including the measurement procedure. As an example, we consider the scattering from two slits.
A critique to the article by C.A. Fuchs, N.D. Mermin, and R.Schack, "An introduction to QBism with and application to the locality of quantum mechanics" that appeared in Am. J. Phys. 82 (8), 749-754 (2014)
Measurement incompatibility and quantum non-locality are two key features of quantum theory. Violations of Bell inequalities require quantum entanglement and incompatibility of the measurements used by the two parties involved in the protocol. We analyze the converse question: for which Bell inequalities is the incompatibility of measurements enough to ensure a quantum violation? We relate the two questions by comparing two tensor norms on the space of dichotomic quantum measurements: one characterizing measurement compatibility and the second one characterizing violations of a given Bell ineq…
We study the projection on classical spins starting from quantum equilibria. We show Gibbsianness or quasi-locality of the resulting classical spin system for a class of gapped quantum systems at low temperatures including quantum ground states. A consequence of Gibbsianness is the validity of a large deviation principle in the quantum system which is known and here recovered in regimes of high temperature or for thermal states in one dimension. On the other hand we give an example of a quantum ground state with strong nonlocality in the classical restriction, giving rise to what we call measu…
The conflict between the locality of general relativity, reflected in its space-time description, and the non-locality of quantum mechanics, contained in its Hilbert space description, is discussed. Gauge covariant non-local observables that depend on gauge fields and gravity as well as the wave function are used in order to try to understand and minimize this conflict within the frame-work of these two theories. Applications are made to the Aharonov-Bohm effect and its generalizations to non Abelian gauge fields and gravity.
We investigate the situation in which no information can be transferred from a quantum system B to a quantum system A, even though both interact with a common system C.
We review several properties of thermal states of spin Hamiltonians with short range interactions. In particular, we focus on those aspects in which the application of tools coming from quantum information theory has been specially successful in the recent years. This comprises the study of the correlations at finite and zero temperature, the stability against distant and/or weak perturbations, the locality of temperature and their classical simulatability. For the case of states with a finite correlation length, we overview the results on their energy distribution and the equivalence of the c…
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 …
Many of the contemporary formulations of quantum mechanics describe the marginal probability distributions of entangled many-body systems in a non-local way. Unlike the non-locality of joint distributions, the non-locality of marginal distributions is not forced by theory or experiment. This paper investigates the issue in the context of the Copenhagen, de Broglie-Bohm and sum-over-paths interpretations. A dissociation between information flow into quantum subsystems and the tensor product structure of wavefunctions is highlighted in connection to the problem.
While quantum mechanics allows spooky action at a distance at the level of the wave-function, it also respects locality since there is no instantaneous propagation of real physical effects. We show that this feature can be proved in the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics by a simple general result involving commuting Hermitian operators corresponding to distant (causally disconnected) observables. This is reminiscent of satisfying the locality condition in relativistic quantum field theories.
Is information causality a new physical principle? To answer this question, we first analytically derive the criteria of emergence of quantum correlations from information causality. Then it is shown that, as emergence criteria of quantum correlations, information causality and uselessness of coupler-based non-locality swapping can be regarded equivalent. Therefore, incapability of non-locality swapping using a coupler is as powerful as information causality in the single-out of quantum physics from generalized non-signalling models.
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…
In this paper we show that quantum non-locality can be super-activated. That is, one can obtain violations of Bell inequalities by tensorizing a local state with itself. Moreover, previous results suggest that such Bell violations can be very large.
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.
We give an example of fulfillment of the condition of locality--no information transfer between certain subsystems--in a tripartite quantum system whose dynamics can not be decomposed (non-sequential dynamics of the system). The three subsystems ($A$, $B$ and $C$) are designed such that $C$ interacts simultaneously with both $A$ and $B$, while there is not any interaction between $A$ and $B$. On this basis, we emphasize validity of the condition of locality in a realistic physical situation.
We propose a method to generate analytical quantum Bell inequalities based on the principle of Macroscopic Locality. By imposing locality over binary processings of virtual macroscopic intensities, we establish a correspondence between Bell inequalities and quantum Bell inequalities in bipartite scenarios with dichotomic observables. We discuss how to improve the latter approximation and how to extend our ideas to scenarios with more than two outcomes per setting.
The locality problem of quantum measurements is considered in the framework of the algebraic approach. It is shown that contrary to the currently widespread opinion one can reconcile the mathematical formalism of the quantum theory with the assumption of the existence of a local physical reality determining the results of local measurements. The key quantum experiments: double-slit experiment on electron scattering, Wheeler's delayed-choice experiment, the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox, and quantum teleportation are discussed from the locality-problem point of view. A clear physical interpre…
A correlation measure relating to measured and unmeasured local quantities in quantum mechanics is introduced, and is then applied to assess the locality implications for Bell/CHSH and similar set-ups. This leads to some interesting results, and the scheme is extended to the generalized no-signalling boxes framework. Some questions are raised about the use of counterfactual reasoning in quantum mechanics.
We prove that all deterministic hidden-variables theories, that reproduce quantum theory for a 'quantum equilibrium' distribution of hidden variables, predict the existence of instantaneous signals at the statistical level for hypothetical 'nonequilibrium ensembles'. This signal-locality theorem generalises yet another property of the pilot-wave theory of de Broglie and Bohm. The theorem supports the hypothesis that in the remote past the universe relaxed to a state of statistical equilibrium (at the hidden-variable level) in which nonlocality happens to be masked by quantum noise.
By constructing the quantum state in high-dimensional probability tensor, we find the quantum magic square(QMS) may stand as an ideal means of characterizing the non-local phenomena, i.e. the separability, entanglement, two/one-way steering, and Bell non-locality, etc. In this scheme, different types of non-locality exhibit distinctive inner structures of the probability tensor, which are observable in form of the partial sum of the tensor components. In application, we prove the Bell and GHZ theorems, and demonstrate that the uncertainty relation may rate the non-locality, from Bell locality …
The unique entanglement measure is concurrence in a 2-qubit pure state. The maximum violation of Bell's inequality is monotonically increasing for this quantity. Therefore, people expect that pure state entanglement is relevant to the non-locality. For justification, we extend the study to three qubits. We consider all possible 3-qubit operators with a symmetric permutation. When only considering one entanglement measure, the numerical result contradicts expectation. Therefore, we conclude ``Non-Locality$\neq$Quantum Entanglement''. We propose the generalized $R$-matrix or correlation matrix f…
The term 'locality' is used in different contexts with different meanings. There have been claims that relational quantum mechanics is local, but it is not clear then how it accounts for the effects that go under the usual name of quantum non-locality. The present article shows that the failure of 'locality' in the sense of Bell, once interpreted in the relational framework, reduces to the existence of a common cause in an indeterministic context. In particular, there is no need to appeal to a mysterious space-like influence to understand it.
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.
Quantum theory violates Bell's inequality, but not to the maximum extent that is logically possible. We derive inequalities (generalizations of Cirel'son's inequality) that quantify the upper bound of the violation, both for the standard formalism and the formalism of generalized observables (POVMs). These inequalities are quantum analogues of Bell inequalities, and they can be used to test the quantum version of locality. We discuss the nature of this kind of locality. We also go into the relation of our results to an argument by Popescu and Rohrlich (Found. Phys. 24, 379 (1994)) that there i…
The author's attempt to construct a local causal model of quantum theory (QT) that includes quantum field theory (QFT) resulted in the identification of "quantum objects" as the elementary units of causality and locality. Quantum objects are collections of particles (including single particles) whose collective dynamics and measurement results can only be described by the laws of QT and QFT. Local causal models of quantum objects' internal dynamics are not possible if a locality is understood as a space-point locality. Within quantum objects, state transitions may occur which instantly affect …
The statistics of soliton sectors of massive 2D field theories is analysed. In the soliton field algebra, the non-local commutation relations are determined and Weak Locality, Spin-Statistics and CPT theorems are proven. These theorems depart from their usual appearance due to the broken symmetry connecting the inequivalent vacua. An interpretation in terms of modular theory is given. For the neutral subalgebra, the theorems hold in the familiar form, and Twisted Locality is derived.
I argue that conventional estimates of the criterion for classical behavior of a macroscopic body are incorrect, because they do not take into account the locality of interactions, which characterizes the behavior of all systems described approximately by local quantum field theory. Black holes are the only localized objects which do not have such a description. The deviations from classical behavior of a macroscopic body, except for those which can be described as classical uncertainties in the initial values of macroscopic variables,are {\it exponentially} small as a function of the volume o…
Non-locality consists in the existence of non-classical correlations between local measurements. So far, it has been investigated mostly in isolated quantum systems. Here we show that non-local correlations are present, can be detected and might be robust against noise also in many-body open quantum systems, both in the steady-state and in the transient regime. We further discuss the robustness of non-local correlations when the open quantum system undergoes repeated measurements, a relevant scenario for quantum cryptography.
In a previous paper [arXiv:quant-ph/9906007] Hayden and I proved, using the Heisenberg picture, that quantum physics satisfies Einstein's criterion of locality. Wallace and Timpson have argued that certain transformations of the Heisenberg- picture description of a quantum system must be regarded as leaving invariant the factual situation being described, and that taking this into account reveals that Einstein's criterion is violated after all. Here I vindicate the proof and explain some misconceptions that have led to this and other criticisms of it.
Accurate prediction of chemical and material properties from first principles quantum chemistry is a challenging task on traditional computers. Recent developments in quantum computation offer a route towards highly accurate solutions with polynomial cost, however this solution still carries a large overhead. In this perspective, we aim to bring together known results about the locality of physical interactions from quantum chemistry with ideas from quantum computation. We show that the utilization of spatial locality combined with the Bravyi-Kitaev transformation offers an improvement in the …
Studying generalized non-local theories brings insight to the foundations of quantum mechanics. Here we focus on non-locality swapping, the analogue of quantum entanglement swapping. In order to implement such a protocol, one needs a coupler that performs the equivalent of quantum joint measurements on generalized `box-like' states. Establishing a connection to Bell inequalities, we define consistent couplers for theories containing an arbitrary amount of non-locality, which leads us to introduce the concepts of perfect and minimal couplers. Remarkably, Tsirelson's bound for quantum non-locali…
A local description of quantum subsystems can be used to construct ontologies of the full quantum predictions. This paper communicates one possible way to do so. A retrocausal interpretation of quantum mechanics where the de Broglie-Bohm particles are the retrocausal agents is developed. This interpretation is constrained to be compatible with the existence of a local realist description of quantum subsystems.
The nonrelativistic limit of nonlocal modifications to the Klein Gordon operator is studied, and the experimental possibilities of casting stringent constraints on the nonlocality scale via planned and/or current optomechanical experiments are discussed. Details of the perturbative analysis and semianalitical simulations leading to the dynamical evolution of a quantum harmonic oscillator in the presence of non locality reported in [1], together with a comprehensive account of the experimental methodology with particular regard to sensitivity limitations related to thermal decoherence time and …
Nonlinear modifications of quantum mechanics generically lead to nonlocal effects which violate relativistic causality. We study these effects using the functional Schrodinger equation for quantum fields and identify a type of nonlocality which causes nearly instantaneous entanglement of spacelike separated systems. We describe a simple example involving widely separated wave-packet (coherent) states, showing that nonlinearity in the Schrodinger evolution causes spacelike entanglement, even in free field theory.
Non-locality and steering are both non-classical phenomena witnessed in Nature as a result of quantum entanglement. It is now well-established that one can study non-locality independently of the formalism of quantum mechanics, in the so-called device-independent framework. With regards to steering, although one cannot study it completely independently of the quantum formalism, "post-quantum steering" has been described, which is steering that cannot be reproduced by measurements on entangled states, but do not lead to superluminal signalling. In this work we present a framework based on the s…
We analyse the minimum quantum resources needed to realise strong non-locality, as exemplified e.g. by the classical GHZ construction. It was already known that no two-qubit system, with any finite number of local measurements, can realise strong non-locality. For three-qubit systems, we show that strong non-locality can only be realised in the GHZ SLOCC class, and with equatorial measurements. However, we show that in this class there is an infinite family of states which are pairwise non-LU-equivalent that realise strong non-locality with finitely many measurements. These states have decreas…
The emergence of the generalized uncertainty principle and the existence of a non-zero minimal length are intertwined. On the other hand, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle forms the core of the EPR paradox. Subsequently, here, the implications of resorting to the generalized uncertainty principle (or equally, the minimal length) instead of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle on the quantum non-locality are investigated through focusing on the Franson experiment in which the uncertainty relation is the backbone of understanding and explaining the results.
Two central concepts of quantum mechanics are Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, and a subtle form of non-locality that Einstein famously called ``spooky action at a distance''. These two fundamental features have thus far been distinct concepts. Here we show that they are inextricably and quantitatively linked. Quantum mechanics cannot be more non-local with measurements that respect the uncertainty principle. In fact, the link between uncertainty and non-locality holds for all physical theories.More specifically, the degree of non-locality of any theory is determined by two factors -- the s…
It is shown that, in order to avoid unacceptable nonlocal effects, the free parameters of the general Doebner-Goldin equation have to be chosen such that this nonlinear Schrödinger equation becomes Galilean covariant.
We introduce a framework for studying non-locality and contextuality inspired by the path integral formulation of quantum theory. We prove that the existence of a strongly positive joint quantum measure -- the quantum analogue of a joint probability measure -- on a set of experimental probabilities implies the Navascues-Pironio-Acin (NPA) condition $Q^1$ and is implied by the stronger NPA condition $Q^{1+AB}$. A related condition is shown to be equivalent to $Q^{1+AB}$.
The structure of Bell-type inequalities detecting genuine multipartite non-locality, and hence detecting genuine multipartite entanglement, is investigated. We first present a simple and intuitive approach to Svetlichny's original inequality, which provides a clear understanding of its structure and of its violation in quantum mechanics. Based on this approach, we then derive a family of Bell-type inequalities for detecting genuine multipartite non-locality in scenarios involving an arbitrary number of parties and systems of arbitrary dimension. Finally we discuss the thightness and quantum me…
By studying generalized non-signalling theories, the hope is to find out what makes quantum mechanics so special. In the present paper, we revisit the paradigmatic model of non-signalling boxes and introduce the concept of a genuine box. This will allow us to present the first generalized non-signalling model featuring quantum-like dynamics. In particular, we present the coupler, a device enabling non-locality swapping, the analogue of quantum entanglement swapping, as well as teleportation. Remarkably, part of the boundary between quantum and post-quantum correlations emerges in our study.
Subsystems of entangled quantum systems are not traditionally described in a local way. This paper begins to address the issue by constructing an explicit local hidden variable theory for quantum subsystems. The interpretation is based on a modified sum-over-paths approach, where the paths of the subsystem obtain information about the external system during interactions. The interpretation utilizes the conception that there is a dissociation between the tensor product structure of wavefunctions and information flow into quantum subsystems.
Recently it has been shown that transformations of Heisenberg-picture operators are the causal mechanism which allows Bell-theorem-violating correlations at a distance to coexist with locality in the Everett interpretation of quantum mechanics. A calculation to first order in perturbation theory of the generation of EPRB entanglement in nonrelativistic fermionic field theory in the Heisenberg picture illustrates that the same mechanism leads to correlations without nonlocality in quantum field theory as well. An explicit transformation is given to a representation in which initial-condition in…
The status of locality in quantum mechanics is analyzed from a nonstandard point of view. It is assumed that quantum states are relative, they depend on and are defined with respect to some bigger physical system which contains the former system as a subsystem. Hence, the bigger system acts as a reference system. It is shown that quantum mechanics can be reformulated in accordance with this new physical assumption. There is an important consequence of this dependence: states may not be comparable, i.e., they cannot be checked by suitable measurements simultaneously. This special circumstance i…
Quantum pseudo-telepathy is an intriguing phenomenon which results from the application of quantum information theory to communication complexity. To demonstrate this phenomenon researchers in the field of quantum communication complexity devised a number of quantum non-locality games. The setting of these games is as follows: the players are separated so that no communication between them is possible and are given a certain computational task. When the players have access to a quantum resource called entanglement, they can accomplish the task: something that is impossible in a classical setti…
