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arXiv:1904.05306 · Foundations of Physics

Bell Non-locality and Kochen–Specker Contextuality: How are They Connected?

Adán Cabello

Published May 22, 2021• 15 citations
arXivHTMLPDF
DOI
10.1007/s10701-021-00466-5

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The Kochen-Specker theorem shows the incompatibility of noncontextual hidden variable theories with quantum mechanics. Quantum contextuality is a more general concept than quantum non-locality which is quite well tested in experiments using Bell inequalities. Within neutron interferometry we performed an experimental test of the Kochen-Specker theorem with an inequality, which identifies quantum contextuality, by using spin-path entanglement of single neutrons. Here entanglement is achieved not between different particles, but between degrees of freedom of a single neutron, i.e., between spin and path degree of freedom. Appropriate combinations of the spin analysis and the position of the phase shifter allow an experimental verification of the violation of an inequality derived from the Kochen-Specker theorem. The observed violation 2.291±0.008≰1 clearly shows that quantum mechanical predictions cannot be reproduced by noncontextual hidden variable theories.

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The Kochen–Specker (KS) theorem reveals the nonclassicality of single quantum systems. In contrast, Bell's theorem and entanglement concern the nonclassicality of composite quantum systems. Accordingly, unlike incompatibility, entanglement and Bell non-locality are not necessary to demonstrate KS-contextuality. However, here we find that for multiqubit systems, entanglement and non-locality are both essential to proofs of the Kochen–Specker theorem. Firstly, we show that unentangled measurements (a strict superset of local measurements) can never yield a logical (state-independent) proof of the KS theorem for multiqubit systems. In particular, unentangled but nonlocal measurements—whose eigenstates exhibit ''nonlocality without entanglement"—are insufficient for such proofs. This also implies that proving Gleason's theorem on a multiqubit system necessarily requires entangled projections, as shown by Wallach [Contemp Math, 305: 291-298 (2002)]. Secondly, we show that a multiqubit state admits a statistical (state-dependent) proof of the KS theorem if and only if it can violate a Bell inequality with projective measurements. We also establish the relationship between entanglement and the theorems of Kochen–Specker and Gleason more generally in multiqudit systems by constructing new examples of KS sets. Finally, we discuss how our results shed new light on the role of multiqubit contextuality as a resource within the paradigm of quantum computation with state injection.
Extendability of an empirical model was shown by Abramsky & Brandenburger to correspond in a unified manner to both locality and non-contextuality. We develop their approach by presenting a refinement of the notion of extendability that can also be useful in characterising the properties of sub-models. The refinement is found to have another useful application: it is shown that a particular canonical extension, when well-defined, may be used for the construction of Bell-type models from models of more general kinds in such a way that the constructed model is equivalent to the original in terms of non-locality/contextuality. This is important since on practical and foundational levels, the notion of locality in Bell-type models can more easily be motivated than the corresponding general notion of contextuality. We consider examples of Bell-type models generated from some standard examples of contextual models, including an entire class of Kochen-Specker-like models. This exposes an intriguing relationship between the simplest possible contextual model (the contextual triangle) and Popescu-Rohrlich no-signalling correlations.
The Kochen-Specker theorem shows the incompatibility of noncontextual hidden variable theories with quantum mechanics. Quantum contextuality is a more general concept than quantum non-locality which is quite well tested in experiments using Bell inequalities. Within neutron interferometry we performed an experimental test of the Kochen-Specker theorem with an inequality, which identifies quantum contextuality, by using spin-path entanglement of single neutrons. Here entanglement is achieved not between different particles, but between degrees of freedom of a single neutron, i.e., between spin and path degree of freedom. Appropriate combinations of the spin analysis and the position of the phase shifter allow an experimental verification of the violation of an inequality derived from the Kochen-Specker theorem. The observed violation 2.291±0.008≰1 clearly shows that quantum mechanical predictions cannot be reproduced by noncontextual hidden variable theories.