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arXiv:quant-ph/0209038 · Physical Review Letters

Experimental Test of the Kochen-Specker Theorem with Single Photons

Yun‐Feng Huang, Chuan‐Feng Li, Yong-Sheng Zhang, Jian-Wei Pan, Guang‐Can Guo

Published Jun 23, 2003• 160 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Using the spontaneous parametric down-conversion process in a type-I phase matching beta-barium-borate crystal as a single photon source, we perform an all-or-nothing-type Kochen-Specker experiment proposed by Simon et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 1783 (2000)]] to verify whether noncontextual hidden variables or quantum mechanics is right. The results strongly agree with quantum mechanics.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.90.250401

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Using the spontaneous parametric down-conversion process in a type-I phase matching beta-barium-borate crystal as a single photon source, we perform an all-or-nothing-type Kochen-Specker experiment proposed by Simon et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 1783 (2000)]] to verify whether noncontextual hidden variables or quantum mechanics is right. The results strongly agree with quantum mechanics.
A recent proposal to experimentally test quantum mechanics against noncontextual hidden-variable theories [Phys. Rev. Lett.80, 1797 (1998)] is shown to be related with the smallest proof of the Kochen–Specker theorem currently known [Phys. Lett.A212, 183 (1996)]. This proof contains eighteen yes-no questions about a four-dimensional physical system, combined in nine mutually incompatible tests. When these tests are considered as tests about a two-part two-state system, then quantum mechanics and noncontextual hidden variables make the same predictions for eight of them, but make different predictions for the ninth. Therefore, this ninth test would allow us to discriminate between quantum mechanics and noncontextual hidden-variable theories in a (gedanken) single run experiment.
We propose a feasible Kochen–Specker experiment with single photons, whose goal is to submit noncontextual hidden-variable theories to nonstatistical, all-or-nothing tests. Our proposal improves some recently performed tests in two respects. First, the present proposal is state-independent, thereby realizing a scheme designed by Cabello and García-Alcaine that was only partially realized in recent experiments. Second, our proposal can deal with non-ideal detectors without invoking the fair sampling assumption.
Recently, the Kochen—Specker theorem has been demonstrated and quantum contextuality has been observed experimentally by using special and independent quantum states. On the other hand, recent investigations have shown that a thermal light source can mimic the two-photon entangled source to perform the imaging effects. We perform an all-or-nothing—type Kochen-Specker experiment using the thermal light source and obtain the same results as those using quantum sources. The physical origin for such a phenomenon is analyzed.