Detecting mode entanglement: The role of coherent states, superselection rules, and particle statistics

Abstract

We discuss the possibility of observing quantum nonlocality using the so-called mode entanglement, analyzing the differences between different types of particles in this context. We first discuss the role of coherent states in such experiments, and we comment on the existence of coherent states in nature. The discussion of coherent states naturally raises questions about the role of particle statistics in this problem. Although the Pauli exclusion principle precludes coherent states with a large number of fermionic particles, we find that a large number of fermionic coherent states, each containing at most one particle, can be used to achieve the same effect as a bosonic coherent state for the purposes of this problem. The discussion of superselection rules arises naturally in this context, because their applicability to a given situation prohibits the use of coherent states. This limitation particularly affects the scenario that we propose for detecting the mode entanglement of fermionic particles.