Bell's inequalities are important to our understanding of quantum foundations and critical to several quantum technologies. A recent work [E. Wolfe and S. F. Yelin, Phys. Rev. A 86, 012123 (2012)] derived three parametrized families of two-particle, two-setting Bell inequalities. These inequalities are important as they theoretically explore a larger volume of allowed quantum correlations over local hidden-variable models than previous results [A. Cabello, Phys. Rev. A 72, 012113 (2005)] by exploiting marginal, or single particle measurements. In this work we subject those predictions to experimental test using nonmaximally entangled photon pairs to optimize the expected violation. We find excellent agreement with the upper bounds predicted by quantum mechanics with violations of the limits imposed by local hidden-variable models as large as almost 30$\ensuremath{\sigma}$ for the optimal parameters and a significant violation over a wide range of parameters.
Bell's inequalities are important to our understanding of quantum foundations and critical to several quantum technologies. A recent work [E. Wolfe and S. F. Yelin, Phys. Rev. A 86, 012123 (2012)] derived three parametrized families of two-particle, two-setting Bell inequalities. These inequalities are important as they theoretically explore a larger volume of allowed quantum correlations over local hidden-variable models than previous results [A. Cabello, Phys. Rev. A 72, 012113 (2005)] by exploiting marginal, or single particle measurements. In this work we subject those predictions to experimental test using nonmaximally entangled photon pairs to optimize the expected violation. We find excellent agreement with the upper bounds predicted by quantum mechanics with violations of the limits imposed by local hidden-variable models as large as almost 30\ensuremathσ for the optimal parameters and a significant violation over a wide range of parameters.
Bell inequalities are mathematical constructs that demarcate the boundary between quantum and classical physics.A new class of multiplicative Bell inequalities originating from a volume maximization game (based on products of correlators within bipartite systems) has been recently proposed.For these new Bell parameters, it is relatively easy to find the classical and quantum, i.e., Tsirelson, limits.Here, we experimentally test the Tsirelson bounds of these inequalities using polarization-entangled photons for a different number of measurements (n), each party can perform.For n = 2, 3, 4, we report the experimental violation of local hidden variable theories.In addition, we experimentally compare the results with the parameters obtained from a fully deterministic strategy, and observe the conjectured nature of the ratio.Finally, utilizing the principle of "relativistic independence" encapsulating the locality of uncertainty relations, we theoretically derive and experimentally test new and richer quantum bounds for both the multiplicative and the additive Bell parameters for n = 2. Our findings strengthen the deep correspondence between local and nonlocal correlations, and pave the way for both theoretical (e.g., better understanding of nonlocal correlations) and practical (e.g., Bell tests and quantum technologies with inefficient detectors) applications.
This thesis is the synthesis of theoretical and experimental works performed in the area of quantum foundations, particularly on quantum correlations and experimental tests of multiplicative Bell inequalities. First we begin with a comprehensive theoretical work performed on the foundations of quantum mechanics, focusing on the puzzling concepts of quantum entanglement, and hidden variable theories. Specifically, we present a broad overview of different classes of hidden variable theories such as local, crypto-nonlocal, contextual and non-local theories, along with several Bell like inequalities for these theories, providing theoretical proofs based on quantum mechanics for the falsification of some of these theories. Second we present a body of experimental, and theoretical works performed on a new class of Bell inequalities, i.e., the multiplicative Bell inequalities. We experimentally report the observation of the Bell parameters close to the Tsirelson (quantum) limit, upto a large number of measurement devices (n), and compare the results with a particular deterministic strategy. We also obtain classical bounds for some n, and report the experimental violation of these classical limits. We theoretically derive new richer bounds on the CHSH inequality (named after John Clauser, Michael Horne, Abnor Shimony and Richard Holt) and the multiplicative Bell parameter for n=2, based on the principle of ``relativistic independence'', and experimentally observe the distribution of Bell parameters as predicted by these bounds.
It was shown by Dur [Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 230402 (2001)] that N (N>4) qubits described by a certain one-parameter family F of bound entangled states violate the Mermin-Klyshko inequality for N>8. In this paper we prove that the states from the family F violate Bell inequalities derived by \ifmmode \dot{Z}\else \.{Z}\fi{}ukowski and Kaszlikowski [Phys. Rev. A 56, R1682 (1997)], in which each observer measures three noncommuting sets of orthogonal projectors, for N>7. We also derive a simple one-parameter family of entanglement witnesses that detect entanglement for all the states belonging to F. It is possible that these entanglement witnesses could be generated by some Bell inequalities.
Bell-inequality violation is one of the most widely known manifestations of entanglement in quantum mechanics; indicating that experiments on physically separated quantum mechanical systems cannot be given a local realistic description. However, despite the importance of Bell inequalities, it is not known in general how to determine whether a given entangled state will violate a Bell inequality. This is because one can choose to make many different measurements on a quantum system to test any given Bell inequality and the optimization over measurements is a high-dimensional variational problem. In order to better understand this problem we present algorithms that provide, for a given quantum state and Bell inequality, both a lower bound and an upper bound on the maximal violation of the inequality. In many cases these bounds determine measurements that would demonstrate violation of the Bell inequality or provide a bound that rules out the possibility of a violation. Both bounds apply techniques from convex optimization and the methodology for creating upper bounds allows them to be systematically improved. Examples are given to illustrate how these algorithms can be used to conclude definitively if some quantum states violate a given Bell inequality.
It is one of the most remarkable features of quantum physics that measurements on spatially separated systems cannot always be described by a locally causal theory. In such a theory, the outcomes of local measurements are determined in advance solely by some unknown (or hidden) variables and the choice of local measurements. Correlations that are allowed within the framework of a locally causal theory are termed classical. Typically, the fact that quantum mechanics does not always result in classical correlations is revealed by the violation of Bell inequalities, which are constraints that have to be satisfied by any classical correlations. It has been known for a long time that entanglement is necessary to demonstrate nonclassical correlations, and hence a Bell inequality violation. However, since some entangled quantum states are known to admit explicit locally causal models, the exact role of entanglement in Bell inequality violation has remained obscure. This thesis provides both a comprehensive review on these issues as well as a report on new discoveries made to clarify the relationship between entanglement and Bell inequality violation. In particular, within the framework of a standard Bell experiment, i.e., a Bell inequality test that is directly performed on a single copy of a quantum state r, we have derived two algorithms to determine, respectively, a lower bound and an upper bound on the strength of correlations that r can offer for any given Bell inequality. Both of these algorithms make use convex optimization techniques in the form of a semidefinite program. By examples, we show that these algorithms can often be used in tandem, in conjunction with convexity arguments, to determine if a quantum state can offer nonclassical correlations and hence violates a given Bell inequality. On the other hand, since a standard Bell experiment typically involves measurements over many copies of the quantum systems, we have also investigated the possibility of enhancing the strength of nonclassical correlation by, instead, performing collective measurements on multiple copies of the quantum systems. Our findings show that even without postselection, such joint measurements may also lead to stronger nonclassical correlations, and hence a better Bell inequality violation. Meanwhile, previous studies have indicated that entangled state admitting locally causal models may still lead to observable nonclassical correlations if, prior to a standard Bell experiment, the state is subjected to some appropriate local preprocessing. This phenomenon of hidden nonlocality was discovered more than a decade ago, but to date, it is still not known if all entangled states can demonstrate nonclassical correlations through these more sophisticated Bell experiments. A key result in this thesis then consists of showing that for all bipartite entangled states, observable nonclassical correlations, in the form of a Bell-CHSH inequality violation, can indeed be derived if we allow both local preprocessing and the usage of shared ancillary state which by itself does not violate the Bell-CHSH inequality. This establishes a kind of equivalence between bipartite entanglement and states that cannot be simulated by classical correlations. In summary, for a standard Bell experiment where no local preprocessing on a quantum state r is allowed, we have provided two algorithms that can be used in tandem to determine if r can be simulated by a locally causal theory, whereas in the scenario where local preprocessing is allowed, we have demonstrated that bipartite entangled states are precisely those which cannot always be simulated classically.
While entanglement and violation of Bell inequalities were initially thought to be equivalent quantum phenomena, we now have different examples of entangled states whose correlations can be described by local hidden--variable models and, therefore, do not violate any Bell inequality. We provide an up to date overview of the existing local hidden--variable models for entangled quantum states, both in the bipartite and multipartite case, and discuss some of the most relevant open questions in this context. Our review covers twenty five years of this line of research since the seminal work by Werner [R. F. Werner, Phys. Rev. A 40, 8 (1989)] providing the first example of an entangled state with a local model, which in turn appeared twenty five years after the seminal work by Bell [J. S. Bell, Physics 1, 195 (1964)], about the impossibility of recovering the predictions of quantum mechanics using a local hidden--variables theory.