Abstract
The recent paper entitled by K. C. Lee et al. (2011) establishes nonlocal macroscopic quantum correlations, which they term "entanglement", under ambient conditions. Photon(s)-phonon entanglements are established within each interferometer arm. However, our analysis demonstrates, the phonon fields between arms become correlated as a result of single-photon wavepacket path indistinguishability, not true nonlocal entanglement. We also note that a coherence expansion (as opposed to decoherence) resulted from local entanglement which was not recognized. It occurred from nearly identical Raman scattering in each arm (importantly not meeting the Born and Markovian approximations). The ability to establish nonlocal macroscopic quantum correlations through path indistinguishability rather than entanglement offers the opportunity to greatly expand quantum macroscopic theory and application, even though it was not true nonlocal entanglement.
Highlights
The ability to observe and control nonlocal macroscopic quantum coherence/correlations, under ambient conditions, would likely have a powerful influence across a wide range of fields
Our analysis demonstrates, the phonon fields between arms become correlated as a result of single-photon wavepacket path indistinguishability, not true nonlocal entanglement
We suggest that confusion over the distinction between quantum correlations due to entanglement versus path indistinguishability has arisen, at least in part, over a misunderstanding of the type II spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC) source and overextending interpretations of Dirac notation, which is presented in the Appendix
Summary
The ability to observe and control nonlocal macroscopic quantum coherence/correlations, under ambient conditions, would likely have a powerful influence across a wide range of fields. If we were only looking at one arm, prior to the Stokes photon detection, there is an entanglement between the Stokes photon, phonon field, and anti-Stokes photon This is somewhat analogous to the nonlocal entanglements in the well-known studies performed by Brune et al described below which we will use to support our conclusions about the Lee paper [10,11,12]. Our analysis is that Lee’s explanation, in the Science paper, for the quantum correlations generated between diamonds (resulting from the pump photons) is unlikely representative of the actual situation They postulated a nonlocal entanglement between the diamonds. The pump photon/diamond interactions do not (and must not) meet the Born (system-environment coupling weak) or Markovian (memory effects of the environment are negligible) approximations of decoherence theory [15, 17] This occurs largely from the high frequency of the optical phonons and the strong coupling associated with the Raman scatterers. Described more formally below, a state describing a pair of nonlocal quantum correlated entities
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