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arXiv:1506.01305 · Optica

Shifting the quantum-classical boundary: theory and experiment for statistically classical optical fields

Xiao-Feng Qian, Bethany Little, John C. Howell, Joseph H. Eberly

Published Jun 25, 2015• 132 citations

Abstract

The growing recognition that entanglement is not exclusively a quantum property, and does not even originate with Schrödinger's famous remark about it [Proc. Camb. Phil. Soc. 31, 555 (1935)], prompts examination of its role in marking the quantum-classical boundary. We have done this by subjecting correlations of classical optical fields to new Bell-analysis experiments, and report here values of the Bell parameter greater than ${\cal B} = 2.54$. This is many standard deviations outside the limit ${\cal B} = 2$ established by the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) Bell inequality [Phys. Rev. Lett. 23, 880 (1969)], in agreement with our theoretical classical prediction, and not far from the Tsirelson limit ${\cal B} = 2.828...$. These results cast a new light on the standard quantum-classical boundary description, and suggest a reinterpretation of it.

DOI: 10.1364/optica.2.000611

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The growing recognition that entanglement is not exclusively a quantum property, and does not even originate with Schrödinger's famous remark about it [Proc. Camb. Phil. Soc. 31, 555 (1935)], prompts examination of its role in marking the quantum-classical boundary. We have done this by subjecting correlations of classical optical fields to new Bell-analysis experiments, and report here values of the Bell parameter greater than

{\cal B} = 2.54

. This is many standard deviations outside the limit

{\cal B} = 2

established by the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) Bell inequality [Phys. Rev. Lett. 23, 880 (1969)], in agreement with our theoretical classical prediction, and not far from the Tsirelson limit

{\cal B} = 2.828...

. These results cast a new light on the standard quantum-classical boundary description, and suggest a reinterpretation of it.

Abstract We report experiments in which the Bell parameter S that enters the Clauser–Horne–Shimony–Holt inequality: ∣ S ∣ ≤ 2 , attains values ∣ S ∣ > 2 . In our experiments, we used two spatially separated optical beams, the electric fields of which were correlated to one another. The amount of correlation was quantified by the spectral degree of coherence η ( α , β ) . This quantity measures the correlation between fields that exist at two distant locations and whose respective polarizations are given in terms of angles α and β , which can be set independently from one another. Such a correlation qualifies for the construction of the Bell parameter S . By changing the amount of field correlation, we could cover a range that goes from ∣ S ∣ < 2 to ∣ S ∣ > 2 . Our experimental findings should provide useful material for the ongoing, theoretical discussions about the quantum–classical border.

It is well-known that no local model-in theory-can simulate the outcome statistics of a Bell-type experiment as long as the detection efficiency is higher than a threshold value. For the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) Bell inequality this theoretical threshold value is [Formula: see text]. On the other hand, Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 170404 (2011) outlined an explicit practical model that can fake the CHSH inequality for a detection efficiency of up to 0.5. In this work, we close this gap. More specifically, we propose a method to emulate a Bell inequality at the threshold detection efficiency using existing optical detector control techniques. For a Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt inequality, it emulates the CHSH violation predicted by quantum mechanics up to [Formula: see text]. For the Garg-Mermin inequality-re-calibrated by incorporating non-detection events-our method emulates its exact local bound at any efficiency above the threshold. This confirms that attacks on secure quantum communication protocols based on Bell violation is a real threat if the detection efficiency loophole is not closed.

The correlations between two qubits belonging to a three-qubit system can violate the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt-Bell inequality beyond Tsirelson's bound [A. Cabello, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 060403 (2002)]. We experimentally demonstrate such a violation by 7 standard deviations by using a three-photon polarization-entangled Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state produced by Type-II spontaneous parametric down-conversion. In addition, using part of our results, we obtain a violation of the Mermin inequality by 39 standard deviations.