Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:0801.1776

Violation of Bell inequalities through the coincidence-time loophole

Morgan, Peter

Published Jan 11, 2008• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The coincidence-time loophole was identified by Larsson & Gill (Europhys. Lett. 67, 707 (2004)); a concrete model that exploits this loophole has recently been described by De Raedt et al. (Found. Phys., to appear). It is emphasized here that De Raedt et al.'s model is experimentally testable. De Raedt et al.'s model also introduces contextuality in a novel and classically more natural way than the use of contextual particle properties, by introducing a probabilistic model of a limited set of degrees of freedom of the measurement apparatus, so that it can also be seen as a random field model. Even though De Raedt et al.'s model may well contradict detailed Physics, it nonetheless provides a way to simulate the logical operation of elements of a quantum computer, and may provide a way forward for more detailed random field models.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.0801.1776

Related papers

On the applicability of Kolmogorov's theory of probability to the description of quantum phenomena. Part II: Bell inequalities

Maik Reddiger

Among the various "no-go theorems" in the foundations of quantum mechanics, Bell inequalities are among the few, which do not implicitly rely on the mathematical structure of quantum mechanics. Instead, Bell inequalities are commonly understood to rest on Kolmogorov's theory of probability and a "locality" assumption. Physical evidence supporting their violation is hence taken as evidence against at least one of these two assumptions. This work provides a comprehensive analysis of the physical debate on Bell inequalities from the point of view of Kolmogorov's theory of probability, focusing on the Bell-Clauser-Horn-Shimony-Holt inequality (BCHSH inequality). The central contribution is the motivation and mathematical study of the notion of contextuality in Bell experiments: in so-called contextual Bell models the detectors themselves behave randomly and the distribution of the random detector parameters depends on the chosen detector settings. It is shown how even "classical" Bell experiments motivate such a description. The need to account for contextuality was pointed out before by de la Peña, Cetto, Brody, Lochak, Bohm, Hiley and others. A broad class of contextual models is proven to satisfy the BCHSH inequality, thereby generalizing a previous result by Gill and Lambare. Nonetheless, even under strong locality requirements, contextual Bell models may violate the BCHSH inequality: based on work by Popescu and Rohrlich, we consider a "proof of concept" example exhibiting the maximum possible violation. Contrary to the much debated "loopholes" in empirical tests of Bell inequalities, contextuality thus reveals a conceptual misunderstanding in the physical conclusions commonly drawn from Bell inequality violations.

quant-pharXiv:2609.31075•Sep 28, 2026•0 citations

Analysis of coincidence-time loopholes in experimental Bell tests

Bradley Christensen, Alexander D. Hill, Paul G. Kwiat +6 more

We apply a distance-based Bell-test analysis method [E. Knill et al., Phys. Rev. A 91, 032105 (2015)] to three experimental data sets where conventional analyses failed or required additional assumptions. The first is produced from a classical source exploiting a ``coincidence-time loophole'' for which standard analysis falsely shows a Bell violation. The second is from a source previously shown to violate a Bell inequality; the distance-based analysis agrees with the previous results but with fewer assumptions. The third data set does not show a violation with standard analysis despite the high source quality, but is shown to have a strong violation with the distance-based analysis method.

arXiv:1503.07573•Physical Review A•Sep 28, 2015•12 citations

Bell-inequality violation with entangled photons, free of the coincidence-time loophole

Jan-Åke Larsson, Marissa Giustina, Johannes Kofler +3 more

In a local realist model, physical properties are defined prior to and independent of measurement and no physical influence can propagate faster than the speed of light. Proper experimental violation of a Bell inequality would show that the world cannot be described with such a model. Experiments intended to demonstrate a violation usually require additional assumptions that make them vulnerable to a number of ``loopholes.'' In both pulsed and continuously pumped photonic experiments, an experimenter needs to identify which detected photons belong to the same pair, giving rise to the coincidence-time loophole. Here, via two different methods, we derive Clauser-Horne- and Eberhard-type inequalities that are not only free of the fair-sampling assumption (thus not being vulnerable to the detection loophole), but also free of the fair-coincidence assumption (thus not being vulnerable to the coincidence-time loophole). Both approaches can be used for pulsed as well as for continuously pumped experiments. Moreover, as they can also be applied to already existing experimental data, we finally show that a recent experiment [Giustina et al., Nature (London) 497, 227 (2013)] violated local realism without requiring the fair-coincidence assumption.

arXiv:1309.0712•Physical Review A•Sep 16, 2014•53 citations

Bell's inequality and the coincidence-time loophole

Jan-Åke Larsson, Richard David Gill

This paper analyzes effects of time dependence in the Bell inequality. A generalized inequality is derived for the case when coincidence and non-coincidence (and hence whether or not a pair contributes to the actual data) is controlled by timing that depends on the detector settings. Needless to say, this inequality is violated by quantum mechanics and could be violated by experimental data provided that the loss of measurement pairs through failure of coincidence is small enough, but the quantitative bound is more restrictive in this case than in the previously analyzed "efficiency loophole".

arXiv:quant-ph/0312035•Europhysics Letters (EPL)•Aug 25, 2004•94 citations

Contextuality-by-Default Description of Bell Tests: Contextuality as the Rule and Not as an Exception

Marian Kupczyński

Contextuality and entanglement are valuable resources for quantum computing and quantum information. Bell inequalities are used to certify entanglement; thus, it is important to understand why and how they are violated. Quantum mechanics and behavioural sciences teach us that random variables 'measuring' the same content (the answer to the same Yes or No question) may vary, if 'measured' jointly with other random variables. Alice's and BoB's raw data confirm Einsteinian non-signaling, but setting dependent experimental protocols are used to create samples of coupled pairs of distant ±1 outcomes and to estimate correlations. Marginal expectations, estimated using these final samples, depend on distant settings. Therefore, a system of random variables 'measured' in Bell tests is inconsistently connected and it should be analyzed using a Contextuality-by-Default approach, what is done for the first time in this paper. The violation of Bell inequalities and inconsistent connectedness may be explained using a contextual locally causal probabilistic model in which setting dependent variables describing measuring instruments are correctly incorporated. We prove that this model does not restrict experimenters' freedom of choice which is a prerequisite of science. Contextuality seems to be the rule and not an exception; thus, it should be carefully tested.

arXiv:2104.11555•Entropy•Aug 25, 2021•19 citations

Comment on “Loophole-Free Bell Test for Continuous Variables via Wave and Particle Correlations”

Daniel Cavalcanti, Valerio Scarani

The inequalities proposed in [Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 170404 (2010)] are not Bell's inequalities in the usual sense: there are local classical models that violate these inequalities. Thus, their violation demonstrates nonlocality only under assumptions about the physical implementation and moreover they cannot be used as a device-independent test of nonlocality.

arXiv:1010.5358•Physical Review Letters•May 20, 2011•7 citations
The coincidence-time loophole was identified by Larsson & Gill (Europhys. Lett. 67, 707 (2004)); a concrete model that exploits this loophole has recently been described by De Raedt et al. (Found. Phys., to appear). It is emphasized here that De Raedt et al.'s model is experimentally testable. De Raedt et al.'s model also introduces contextuality in a novel and classically more natural way than the use of contextual particle properties, by introducing a probabilistic model of a limited set of degrees of freedom of the measurement apparatus, so that it can also be seen as a random field model. Even though De Raedt et al.'s model may well contradict detailed Physics, it nonetheless provides a way to simulate the logical operation of elements of a quantum computer, and may provide a way forward for more detailed random field models.
Among the various "no-go theorems" in the foundations of quantum mechanics, Bell inequalities are among the few, which do not implicitly rely on the mathematical structure of quantum mechanics. Instead, Bell inequalities are commonly understood to rest on Kolmogorov's theory of probability and a "locality" assumption. Physical evidence supporting their violation is hence taken as evidence against at least one of these two assumptions. This work provides a comprehensive analysis of the physical debate on Bell inequalities from the point of view of Kolmogorov's theory of probability, focusing on the Bell-Clauser-Horn-Shimony-Holt inequality (BCHSH inequality). The central contribution is the motivation and mathematical study of the notion of contextuality in Bell experiments: in so-called contextual Bell models the detectors themselves behave randomly and the distribution of the random detector parameters depends on the chosen detector settings. It is shown how even "classical" Bell experiments motivate such a description. The need to account for contextuality was pointed out before by de la Peña, Cetto, Brody, Lochak, Bohm, Hiley and others. A broad class of contextual models is proven to satisfy the BCHSH inequality, thereby generalizing a previous result by Gill and Lambare. Nonetheless, even under strong locality requirements, contextual Bell models may violate the BCHSH inequality: based on work by Popescu and Rohrlich, we consider a "proof of concept" example exhibiting the maximum possible violation. Contrary to the much debated "loopholes" in empirical tests of Bell inequalities, contextuality thus reveals a conceptual misunderstanding in the physical conclusions commonly drawn from Bell inequality violations.
We apply a distance-based Bell-test analysis method [E. Knill et al., Phys. Rev. A 91, 032105 (2015)] to three experimental data sets where conventional analyses failed or required additional assumptions. The first is produced from a classical source exploiting a ``coincidence-time loophole'' for which standard analysis falsely shows a Bell violation. The second is from a source previously shown to violate a Bell inequality; the distance-based analysis agrees with the previous results but with fewer assumptions. The third data set does not show a violation with standard analysis despite the high source quality, but is shown to have a strong violation with the distance-based analysis method.
In a local realist model, physical properties are defined prior to and independent of measurement and no physical influence can propagate faster than the speed of light. Proper experimental violation of a Bell inequality would show that the world cannot be described with such a model. Experiments intended to demonstrate a violation usually require additional assumptions that make them vulnerable to a number of ``loopholes.'' In both pulsed and continuously pumped photonic experiments, an experimenter needs to identify which detected photons belong to the same pair, giving rise to the coincidence-time loophole. Here, via two different methods, we derive Clauser-Horne- and Eberhard-type inequalities that are not only free of the fair-sampling assumption (thus not being vulnerable to the detection loophole), but also free of the fair-coincidence assumption (thus not being vulnerable to the coincidence-time loophole). Both approaches can be used for pulsed as well as for continuously pumped experiments. Moreover, as they can also be applied to already existing experimental data, we finally show that a recent experiment [Giustina et al., Nature (London) 497, 227 (2013)] violated local realism without requiring the fair-coincidence assumption.
This paper analyzes effects of time dependence in the Bell inequality. A generalized inequality is derived for the case when coincidence and non-coincidence (and hence whether or not a pair contributes to the actual data) is controlled by timing that depends on the detector settings. Needless to say, this inequality is violated by quantum mechanics and could be violated by experimental data provided that the loss of measurement pairs through failure of coincidence is small enough, but the quantitative bound is more restrictive in this case than in the previously analyzed "efficiency loophole".
Contextuality and entanglement are valuable resources for quantum computing and quantum information. Bell inequalities are used to certify entanglement; thus, it is important to understand why and how they are violated. Quantum mechanics and behavioural sciences teach us that random variables 'measuring' the same content (the answer to the same Yes or No question) may vary, if 'measured' jointly with other random variables. Alice's and BoB's raw data confirm Einsteinian non-signaling, but setting dependent experimental protocols are used to create samples of coupled pairs of distant ±1 outcomes and to estimate correlations. Marginal expectations, estimated using these final samples, depend on distant settings. Therefore, a system of random variables 'measured' in Bell tests is inconsistently connected and it should be analyzed using a Contextuality-by-Default approach, what is done for the first time in this paper. The violation of Bell inequalities and inconsistent connectedness may be explained using a contextual locally causal probabilistic model in which setting dependent variables describing measuring instruments are correctly incorporated. We prove that this model does not restrict experimenters' freedom of choice which is a prerequisite of science. Contextuality seems to be the rule and not an exception; thus, it should be carefully tested.