In recent decades it was established that the quantum measurements of physical quantities in space-time points divided by space-like intervals may be correlated. Though such correlation follows from the formulas of quantum mechanics its physics so far remains unclear and there is a number of different and rather contradictory interpretations. They concern particularly the so-called Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox where the momentary action at a distance together with non-local entangled states is used for the interpretation. We assume that the quantum theory can be formulated as local and look for the consequences of this assumption. Accordingly we try to explain the correlation phenomena in a local way looking for the origin of correlation. To exclude a presupposed correlation of participating quantum particles we consider two independent particle sources and two detectors that are independent as well. We show that the origin of the correlation is the feature that the occupation number of a particle (and other its measurable quantities) is formed by a pair of complex conjugated wave functions with in general arbitrary phases. We consider this point as crucial as it provides interpretation of the observed correlation phenomena that may otherwise look puzzling. We briefly discuss a special type of noise that is typical for the quantum correlation phenomena.
In recent decades it was established that the quantum measurements of physical quantities in space-time points divided by space-like intervals may be correlated. Though such correlation follows from the formulas of quantum mechanics its physics so far remains unclear and there is a number of different and rather contradictory interpretations. They concern particularly the so-called Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox where the momentary action at a distance together with non-local entangled states is used for the interpretation. We assume that the quantum theory can be formulated as local and look for the consequences of this assumption. Accordingly we try to explain the correlation phenomena in a local way looking for the origin of correlation. To exclude a presupposed correlation of participating quantum particles we consider two independent particle sources and two detectors that are independent as well. We show that the origin of the correlation is the feature that the occupation number of a particle (and other its measurable quantities) is formed by a pair of complex conjugated wave functions with in general arbitrary phases. We consider this point as crucial as it provides interpretation of the observed correlation phenomena that may otherwise look puzzling. We briefly discuss a special type of noise that is typical for the quantum correlation phenomena.
In recent decades it was established that the measurements of physical quantities in space-time points divided by large space-like intervals can be correlated.The correlation is created by the measurements while their mutual influence requires the corresponding supraliminal velocities.This situation is commonly known as the violation of the Bell inequality in the Bohm version of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox.Nearly 40 years the question remains disputable with a variety of contradicting views.The most frequently the violation is explained by the existence of some momentary action at a distance which obliges the quantum mechanics (as well as all nature) to be nonlocal.We find the "common cause in the past" as the origin of the observed quantum correlation which so far was unnoticed either by the partisans of quantum non-locality or their opponents.The novelty of our approach is the accent on the expressions for the observed physical quantities rather than on the "entangled" two-particle wave functions.We show the crucial role of phases in the correlation process that is hard to notice using the traditional approach.
The quantum measurement problems are revisited from a new perspective. One of the main ideas of this work is that the basic entities of our world are various types of particles, elementary or composite. It follows that each elementary process, hence each measurement process at its core, is a space–time, pointlike, event. Another key idea is that, when a microsystem [Formula: see text] gets into contact with the experimental device, factorization of [Formula: see text] rapidly fails and entangled mixed states appear. The wave functions for the microsystem-apparatus coupled systems for different measurement outcomes then lack overlapping space–time support. It means that the aftermath of each measurement is a single term in the sum: a “wave function collapse.” Our discussion leading to a diagonal density matrix, [Formula: see text] shows how the information encoded in the wave function [Formula: see text] gets transcribed, via entanglement with the experimental device and environment, into the relative frequencies [Formula: see text] for various experimental results [Formula: see text]. These results represent the first, significant steps towards filling in the logical gaps in the standard interpretation based on Born’s rule, and replacing it with a more natural one. Accepting objective reality of quantum fluctuations, independent of any experiments, and independently of human presence, one renounces the idea that in a fundamental, complete theory of Nature the result of each single experiment must necessarily be predictable. A few well-known puzzles such as the Schrödinger cat conundrum and the Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen (EPR) paradox are briefly reviewed: they can all be naturally explained away.
This paper contributes to the proceedings of the Latin-American School of Physics (ELAF-2017) on Quantum Correlations, and is a brief review of quantum entanglement and nonlocality. In such a brief review, only some topics can be covered. The emphasis is on those topics relevant that may be relevant to detecting multi-particle quantum correlations arising in atomic and Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) experiments. The paper is divided into five sections. In the first section, the historical papers of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR), Bell, Schrodinger and Greenberger-Zeilinger-Horne (GHZ) are described in a tutorial fashion. This is followed by an introduction to entanglement and density operators. A discussion of the classes of nonlocality is given in the third section, including the modern interpretation of the correlations of the EPR paradox experiments, known as EPR steering correlations. The fourth section covers the detection and generation of so-called continuous variable entanglement and EPR steering. Various known criteria are derived with the details of the proofs given for tutorial purposes. The final section focuses on the criteria and methods that have been useful to detect quantum correlation in BEC or atomic systems. Recent results relating spin squeezing with quantum correlations, including entanglement and EPR steering, are summarised.
The famous EPR paradox shows that if we describe quantum particles in the usual way -- by their wave functions -- then we get the following seeming contradiction. If we entangle the states of the two particles, then move them far away from each other, and measure the state of the first particle, then the state of the second particle immediately changes -- which contradicts to special relativity, according to which such immediate-action-at-a-distance is not possible. It is known that, from the physical viewpoint, this is not a real paradox: if we measure any property of the second particle, the results will not change whether we perform the measurement on the first particle or not. What the above argument shows is that the usual wave function description of a quantum state does not always adequately describe the corresponding physics. In this paper, we propose a new, more physically adequate description of a quantum state, a description in which there is no EPR paradox: measurements performed at the first particle does not change the state of the remote second one.
Eighty years ago Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen demonstrated that instantaneous reduction of wave function, believed to describe completely a pair of entangled physical systems, led to EPR paradox. The paradox disappears in statistical interpretation of quantum mechanics (QM) according to which a wave function describes only an ensemble of identically prepared physical systems. QM predicts strong correlations between outcomes of measurements performed on different members of EPR pairs in far-away locations. Searching for an intuitive explanation of these correlations John Bell analysed so called local realistic hidden variable models and proved that correlations consistent with these models satisfy Bell inequalities which are violated by some predictions of QM and by experimental data. Several different local models were constructed and inequalities proven. Some eminent physicists concluded that Nature is definitely nonlocal and that it is acting according to a law of nonlocal randomness. According to these law perfectly random, but strongly correlated events, can be produced at the same time in far away locations and a local and causal explanation of their occurrence cannot be given. We strongly disagree with this conclusion and we prove the contrary by analysing in detail some influential finite sample proofs of Bell and CHSH inequalities and so called Quantum Randi Challenges. We also show how one can win so called Bell's game without violating locality of Nature. Nonlocal randomness is inconsistent with local quantum field theory, with standard model in elementary particle physics and with causal laws and adaptive dynamics prevailing in the surrounding us world. The experimental violation of Bell-type inequalities does not prove the nonlocality of Nature but it only confirms a contextual character of quantum observables and gives a strong argument against counterfactual definiteness and against a point of view according to which experimental outcomes are produced in irreducible random way.
Quantum entanglement, a quintessential feature of quantum mechanics, has profound implications on our understanding of the fundamental nature of reality. This phenomenon, in which quantum particles exhibit correlations that defy classical intuition, has captivated physicists and philosophers alike. The existence of nonlocal correlations, a hallmark of entanglement, challenges the principles of local realism and calls into question our notions of causality and locality. This paper explores the theoretical foundations, experimental evidence, and interpretations surrounding quantum entanglement and nonlocal correlations. It delves into the historical context, highlighting the pioneering work of physicists such as Einstein, Podolsky, Rosen, and Bell, whose contributions paved the way for our current understanding of this enigmatic concept. The paper also examines the potential applications of entanglement in fields such as quantum computing, cryptography, and communication, underscoring its technological significance. Furthermore, it discusses the philosophical implications of nonlocal correlations, shedding light on the ongoing debates surrounding the interpretation of quantum mechanics and the nature of reality itself. Keywords: Quantum entanglement, Nonlocal correlations, Local realism, Causality, Locality, Quantum mechanics, Experimental evidence, Theoretical foundations, Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox, Bell's theorem, Quantum computing.