Indivisible Quantum Research Articles

Non-Markovianity and entanglement detection

We have established a novel method to detect non-Markovian indivisible quantum channels using structural physical approximation. We have shown that this method can be used to detect eternal non-Markovian operations. We have further established that harnessing eternal non-Markovianity, we can device a protocol to detect quantum entanglement.

Experimental demonstration of quantum contextuality with nine observables on a single photonic qutrit

The violation of contextuality inequalities shows a strong conflict between the noncontextual hidden variable theory and quantum mechanics. A single qutrit is the simplest indivisible quantum system that can allow a state-dependent contextuality test with five observables and a state-independent contextuality test with 13 observables. For any qutrit states, except for the maximally mixed state, one can always find a set of nine observables for which the corresponding inequality is violated [P. Kurzynski and D. Kaszlikowski, Phys. Rev. A 86, 042125 (2012)]. In this paper, we demonstrate the violation of this inequality using single-photon experiments. Our experiments not only enrich the tests of quantum contextuality, but also deepen the understanding of the physical nature of quantum mechanics.

Is the Devil in h?

This note is a part of my effort to rid quantum mechanics (QM) nonlocality. Quantum nonlocality is a two faced Janus: one face is a genuine quantum mechanical nonlocality (defined by the Lüders’ projection postulate). Another face is the nonlocality of the hidden variables model that was invented by Bell. This paper is devoted the deconstruction of the latter. The main casualty of Bell’s model is that it straightforwardly contradicts Heisenberg’s uncertainty and Bohr’s complementarity principles generally. Thus, we do not criticize the derivation or interpretation of the Bell inequality (as was done by numerous authors). Our critique is directed against the model as such. The original Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) argument assumed the Heisenberg’s principle without questioning its validity. Hence, the arguments of EPR and Bell differ crucially, and it is necessary to establish the physical ground of the aforementioned principles. This is the quantum postulate: the existence of an indivisible quantum of action given by the Planck constant. Bell’s approach with hidden variables implicitly implies rejection of the quantum postulate, since the latter is the basis of the reference principles.

Quantum postulate vs. quantum nonlocality: on the role of the Planck constant in Bell\u2019s argument

We present a quantum mechanical (QM) analysis of Bell’s approach to quantum foundations based on his hidden-variable model. We claim and try to justify that the Bell model contradicts to the Heinsenberg’s uncertainty and Bohr’s complementarity principles. The aim of this note is to point to the physical seed of the aforementioned principles. This is the Bohr’s quantum postulate: the existence of indivisible quantum of action given by the Planck constant h. By contradicting these basic principles of QM, Bell’s model implies rejection of this postulate as well. Thus, this hidden-variable model contradicts not only the QM-formalism, but also the fundamental feature of the quantum world discovered by Planck.

Temporality Naturalized

The Schrödinger equation for quantum mechanics, which is approachable in third-person description, takes for granted tenseless time that does not distinguish between different tenses such as past, present, and future. The time-reversal symmetry grounded upon tenseless time globally may, however, be broken once measurement in the form of exchanging indivisible quantum particles between the measured and the measuring intervenes. Measurement breaks tenseless time locally and distinguishes different tenses. Since measurement is about the material process of feeding and acting upon the quantum resources already available from any material bodies to be measured internally, the agency of measurement is sought within the environment in the broadest sense. Most indicative of internal measurement of the environmental origin are chemical reactions in the reaction environment. Temporality naturalized in chemical reactions proceeding as being subjected to frequent interventions of internal measurement is approachable in second-person description because of the participation of multiple agents of measurement there. The use of second-person description is found in the appraisal of the material capacity of generating, distinguishing, and integrating different tenses. An essence of the temporality to be naturalized is within the genesis of different tenses. A most conspicuous exemplar of naturalized temporality is sought in the origins of life conceivable exclusively on the material ground.

Probing the limits of correlations in an indivisible quantum system

We employ a trapped ion to study quantum contextual correlations in a single qutrit using the 5-observable Klyachko, Can, Binicio\ifmmode \breve{g}\else \u{g}\fi{}lu, and Shumovsky inequality, which is arguably the most fundamental noncontextuality inequality for testing quantum mechanics (QM). We quantify the effect of systematics in our experiment by purposely scanning the degree of signaling between measurements, which allows us to place realistic bounds on the nonclassicality of the observed correlations. Our results violate the classical bound for this experiment by up to 25 standard deviations, while being in agreement with the QM limit. In order to test the prediction of QM that the contextual fraction increases with the number of observables, we gradually increase the complexity of our measurements from 5 up to 121 observables. We find stronger-than-classical correlations in all prepared scenarios up to 101 observables, beyond which experimental imperfections blur the quantum-classical divide.

Teleportation in an indivisible quantum system

AbstractTeleportation protocol is conventionally treated as a method for quantum state transfer between two spatially separated physical carriers. Recent experimental progress in manipulation with high-dimensional quantum systems opens a new framework for implementation of teleportation protocols. We show that the one-qubit teleportation can be considered as a state transfer between subspaces of the whole Hilbert space of an indivisible eight-dimensional system. We explicitly show all corresponding operations and discuss an alternative way of implementation of similar tasks.

The Light in a New Light: Always a Wave, Never a Particle

Though it has been widely viewed that the light consists of quantum particles known as photons, the light is not made of quantum particles or photons, and the light is always a wave. What is quantized in the light is the frequency. The electromagnetic frequency is always quantized due to the quantized nature of the electromagnetic energy; the quantum energy results in quantum frequency. The light is made up of many discrete electromagnetic wave bursts of constant durations; each burst consists of an electromagnetic wave of a single frequency determined by an integer multiple of the indivisible quantum energy units. The quantum energy and frequency are synonymous; they are one and the same. The duration of a wave burst is a universal constant, and it is the same for all the wave bursts irrespective of the frequency of the electromagnetic wave they contain. Since the quantum energy is in the frequency of the electromagnetic wave in a wave burst, the light can be propagated unlimited distances with the quantum energy intact, without which, the evolution of life would not have occurred. The quantum energy is not affected by any gradual path degradation even after the propagation of light for billions of light years since the quantum energy is the frequency; this would have been an impossible task by any other means such as carrying the quantum energy in a particle or photon on a wave. The light is always a wave, and never a particle; there is no wave-particle duality. There is absolutely no need for an unrealistic, artificial quantum light particle, or photon hypothesis. The hypothetical mass-less particles only exist in human imagination; they do not exist in the nature.

Explicit contextualized hidden-variable model replicating an indivisible quantum system

Recent experiments and theory have further illuminated the concept of "quantum contextuality". In this paper we take an inequality - the Pentagram (or KCBS) inequality, which is violated by an unentangled spin-1 system - and given a relaxed assumption of non-contextuality show that a hidden variable model may be constructed that replicates exactly the quantum bound. This is in contrast to the case of an entangled pair of spin-1/2 particles where a similar relaxation of the assumption of locality does not lead to a replication of the quantum bound. Some reasons are proposed for why this may be the case.

Non-Markovianity and Indivisible Quantum dynamics of a Apin-S System

Using a measure for the divisibility of a dynamical map, we study the non-Markovian character of a quantum evolution of a spin-S system, which is in an external field and weakly coupled to a bosonic bath with a certain temperature. The finite-temperature dynamics of the open system is obtained by the time-convolutionless master equation in the secular approximation. Besides the influence of the environmental spectral density function, the external field and low temperatures can affect the quantum non-Markovianity. It is found out that the non-Markovian feature of a dynamical map of a high-dimensional spin system is noticeable in contrast to that of a low-dimension spin system.

Experimental test of state-independent quantum contextuality of an indivisible quantum system

We report a state-independent experimental test of quantum contextuality of a single-photon qutrit. The experimental results demonstrate violations of an inequality originally formulated by Yu and Oh [Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 030402 (2012)] and further optimized by Cabello et al. [Phys. Rev. A 85, 032108 (2012)]; this inequality is satisfied by all noncontextual hidden variable models and is violated by all qutrit states. Our experiment shows quantum contextuality of this nature in a most fundamental way: A way that is independent of state and unrelated to entanglement.

State-Independent Proof of Kochen-Specker Theorem with 13 Rays

Quantum contextuality, as proved by Kochen and Specker, and also by Bell, should manifest itself in any state in any system with more than two distinguishable states and recently has been experimentally verified. However, for the simplest system capable of exhibiting contextuality, a qutrit, the quantum contextuality is verified only state dependently in experiment because too many (at least 31) observables are involved in all the known state-independent tests. Here we report an experimentally testable inequality involving only 13 observables that is satisfied by all noncontextual realistic models while being violated by all qutrit states. Thus our inequality facilitates a state-independent test of the quantum contextuality for an indivisible quantum system. We also provide a record-breaking state-independent proof of the Kochen-Specker theorem with 13 directions determined by 26 points on the surface of a magic cube.

Experimental non-classicality of an indivisible quantum system

In contrast to classical physics, quantum theory demands that not all properties can be simultaneously well defined; the Heisenberg uncertainty principle is a manifestation of this fact. Alternatives have been explored--notably theories relying on joint probability distributions or non-contextual hidden-variable models, in which the properties of a system are defined independently of their own measurement and any other measurements that are made. Various deep theoretical results imply that such theories are in conflict with quantum mechanics. Simpler cases demonstrating this conflict have been found and tested experimentally with pairs of quantum bits (qubits). Recently, an inequality satisfied by non-contextual hidden-variable models and violated by quantum mechanics for all states of two qubits was introduced and tested experimentally. A single three-state system (a qutrit) is the simplest system in which such a contradiction is possible; moreover, the contradiction cannot result from entanglement between subsystems, because such a three-state system is indivisible. Here we report an experiment with single photonic qutrits which provides evidence that no joint probability distribution describing the outcomes of all possible measurements--and, therefore, no non-contextual theory--can exist. Specifically, we observe a violation of the Bell-type inequality found by Klyachko, Can, Binicioğlu and Shumovsky. Our results illustrate a deep incompatibility between quantum mechanics and classical physics that cannot in any way result from entanglement.

Principle of non-interaction of waves

Non-interaction of waves (NIW) in the linear domain is an unappreciated but general principle of nature. Explicit recognition of this NIW-principle will add renewed momentum to the progress of fundamental physics and related technologies like spectrometry, coherence, polarizations, laser mode-locking, etc. This principle helps us appreciate that the mathematical correctness of a theorem and its capability to predict certain groups of measured data, do not necessarily imply that the theorem is always capable of mapping real interaction processes in nature. The time-frequency Fourier theorem (TF-FT) is an example since superposed light beams, by themselves, cannot reorganize or sum their energies. Quantum Mechanics (QM) correctly discovered that photons (light beams) are non-interacting bosons. Yet, to accommodate (i) the classical belief that light beams interfere (interact) by themselves, and (ii) Einstein's heuristic hypothesis that discrete packets of energy emitted by molecules travel as indivisible quanta (contradicting spontaneous diffractive spreading), QM has been forced to hypothesize that a photon interferes only with itself. In reality, it is the quantized detecting material media that make the superposition effects become manifest as their physical transformations, from bound electrons to released photoelectrons, after absorbing energy from all the beams due to induced simultaneous stimulations by the beams.

A Research Program with No “Measurement Problem”a

The ''measurement problem'' of contemporary physics is met by recognizing that the physicist participates when constructing and when applying the theory consisting of the formulated formal and measurement criteria (the expressions and rules) providing the necessary conditions which allow him to compute and measure facts, yet retains objectivity by requiring that these criteria, rules and facts be in corroborative equilibrium. We construct the particulate states of quantum physics by a recursive program which incorporates the non-determinism born of communication between asynchronous processes over a shared memory. Their quantum numbers and coupling constants arise from the construction via the unique 4-level combinatorial hierarchy. The construction defines indivisible quantum events with the requisite supraluminal correlations, yet does not allow supraluminal communication. Measurement criteria incorporate c, h-bar, and m/sub p/ or (not ''and'') G. The resulting theory is discrete throughout, contains no infinities, and, as far as we have developed it, is in agreement with quantum mechanical and cosmological fact.

STRIFE ABOUT COMPLEMENTARITY (II)

W E saw (sees. 2 and 3) that, for Bohr and Rosenfeld, the observed system and the instrument of observation form a whole, a ' sealed unit' defining the phenomenon. ' Any atomic scale phenomenon must thus be conceived as a whole ; any attempt to apply to it the same kind of analysis as in classical physics would simply make it vanish. The word ' atomic ' here resumes its etymological sense with a more subtle connotation.' x That is to say, the atomic scale phenomenon is regarded as a whole in the sense of holistic philosophies—a totality that cannot be rationalised and hence represents a limit, a non plus ultra, to human knowledge. For instance, every energy change in an atom has to be regarded as elementary or atomic, because the forever indivisible quantum is involved in i t ; * and, as Bridgman once said, ' it is meaningless to penetrate much deeper than the electron ', for there is really nothing within it. This modern version of atomism is as mechanistic as ancient atomism and as irrationalistic as any obscurantist world outlook. The irrationalist feature lies in the claim that wholes are unanalysable, that their analysis and understanding is forever beyond all human possibility. This irrationalist aspect of the official philosophy of quantum mechanics was recognised by Bohr himself, when he wrote that the ' quantum postulate', according to which every atomic process exhibits a character of ' individuality ' or wholeness, is an ' irrational element '. Elsewhere, after describing an electron diffraction phenomenon, Bohr stresses the universality of such an irrational totality (which he calls individuality) : The impossibility of a closer analysis of the reactions between the particle and the measuring instrument is indeed no peculiarity of the experimental procedure described, but is rather an essential property

STRIFE ABOUT COMPLEMENTARITY (I)

W E saw (sees. 2 and 3) that, for Bohr and Rosenfeld, the observed system and the instrument of observation form a whole, a ' sealed unit' defining the phenomenon. ' Any atomic scale phenomenon must thus be conceived as a whole ; any attempt to apply to it the same kind of analysis as in classical physics would simply make it vanish. The word ' atomic ' here resumes its etymological sense with a more subtle connotation.' x That is to say, the atomic scale phenomenon is regarded as a whole in the sense of holistic philosophies—a totality that cannot be rationalised and hence represents a limit, a non plus ultra, to human knowledge. For instance, every energy change in an atom has to be regarded as elementary or atomic, because the forever indivisible quantum is involved in i t ; * and, as Bridgman once said, ' it is meaningless to penetrate much deeper than the electron ', for there is really nothing within it. This modern version of atomism is as mechanistic as ancient atomism and as irrationalistic as any obscurantist world outlook. The irrationalist feature lies in the claim that wholes are unanalysable, that their analysis and understanding is forever beyond all human possibility. This irrationalist aspect of the official philosophy of quantum mechanics was recognised by Bohr himself, when he wrote that the ' quantum postulate', according to which every atomic process exhibits a character of ' individuality ' or wholeness, is an ' irrational element '. Elsewhere, after describing an electron diffraction phenomenon, Bohr stresses the universality of such an irrational totality (which he calls individuality) : The impossibility of a closer analysis of the reactions between the particle and the measuring instrument is indeed no peculiarity of the experimental procedure described, but is rather an essential property