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arXiv:1012.3052 · Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics

The problem of contextuality and the impossibility of experimental metaphysics thereof

Ronnie Hermens

Published Jul 27, 2011• 12 citations
arXivHTMLPDF
DOI
10.1016/j.shpsb.2011.06.001

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Recently a new impulse has been given to the experimental investigation of contextuality. In this paper we show that for a widely used definition of contextuality there can be no decisive experiment on the existence of contextuality. To this end, we give a clear presentation of the hidden variable models due to Meyer, Kent and Clifton (MKC), which would supposedly nullify the Kochen-Specker Theorem. Although we disagree with this last statement, the models play a significant role in the discussion on the meaning of contextuality. In fact, we introduce a specific MKC-model of which we show that it is non-contextual and completely in agreement with quantum mechanical predictions. We also investigate the possibility of other definitions of non-contextuality --with an emphasis on operational definitions-- and argue that any useful definition relies on the specification of a theoretical framework. It is therefore concluded that no experimental test can yield any conclusions about contextuality on a metaphysical level.

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Recently a new impulse has been given to the experimental investigation of contextuality. In this paper we show that for a widely used definition of contextuality there can be no decisive experiment on the existence of contextuality. To this end, we give a clear presentation of the hidden variable models due to Meyer, Kent and Clifton (MKC), which would supposedly nullify the Kochen-Specker Theorem. Although we disagree with this last statement, the models play a significant role in the discussion on the meaning of contextuality. In fact, we introduce a specific MKC-model of which we show that it is non-contextual and completely in agreement with quantum mechanical predictions. We also investigate the possibility of other definitions of non-contextuality --with an emphasis on operational definitions-- and argue that any useful definition relies on the specification of a theoretical framework. It is therefore concluded that no experimental test can yield any conclusions about contextuality on a metaphysical level.
We introduce an operator system, universal for the probabilistic models of a contextuality scenario, and identify its maximal C∗-cover via the right C∗-algebra of a canonical ternary ring of operators, arising from a hypergraph version of stochastic operator matrices. We study dilating contextuality scenarios, which have the property that each positive operator representation thereof admits a dilation to a projective representation on a larger Hilbert space, and characterise them via the equality of the aforementioned universal operator system and the operator system arising from the canonical generators of the respective hypergraph C∗-algebra. We characterise the no-signalling probabilistic models over a pair of contextuality scenarios of different types, which arise from either the positive operator representations or from the projective representations of these scenarios, in terms of states on operator system tensor products. Generalising the notion of a synchronous no-signalling correlation to the hypergraph framework, we define coherent probabilistic models associated with a given contextuality scenario and characterise various classes thereof via different types of traces of the hypergraph C∗-algebra, associated with the scenario. We establish several equivalent formulations of the Connes Embedding Problem in terms of no-signalling probabilistic models and hypergraph operator systems.
Operational contextuality forms a rapidly developing subfield of quantum information theory. However, the characterization of the quantum mechanical entities that fuel the phenomenon has remained unknown with many partial results existing. Here, we present a resolution to this problem by connecting operational contextuality one-to-one with the no-broadcasting theorem. The connection works both on the level of full quantum theory and subtheories thereof. We demonstrate the connection in various relevant cases, showing especially that for quantum states the possibility of demonstrating contextuality is exactly characterized by non-commutativity, and for measurements this is done by a norm-1 property closely related to repeatability. Moreover, we show how techniques from broadcasting can be used to simplify known foundational results in contextuality.