Communication Complexity as a Principle of Quantum Mechanics

We introduce a two-party communication complexity problem in which the probability of success by using a particular strategy allows the parties to detect with certainty whether or not some forbidden communication has taken place. We show that theprobability of success is bounded by nature; any conceivable method which gives a probability of success outside these bounds is impossible. Moreover, any conceivable method to solve the problem which gives a probability success within these bounds is possible in nature. This example suggests that a suitaby chosen set of communication complexity problems could be the basis of an information-theoretic axiomatization of quantum mechanics.     

贝尔不等式的量子违背及其实验检验——兼议2022年诺贝尔物理学奖

2022年诺贝尔物理学奖授予法国、美国和奥地利的三位科学家阿兰·阿斯佩、约翰·弗朗西斯·克劳泽和安东·塞林格,以表彰他们利用纠缠光子实验检验贝尔不等式以及在开拓量子信息科学方面做出的卓越贡献。贝尔不等式在量子力学基本问题和量子信息研究中都有着不可或缺的地位,它的违背直接揭示了量子力学的基本特征——量子非定域性。文章在讲清楚基本科学概念的基础上,简要介绍了贝尔不等式理论的建立及验证其违背的实验研究的科学历程。为了解决EPR佯谬,基于玻姆的定域隐变量理论,约翰·贝尔提出了关于纠缠态上的关联测量满足的基本不等式——贝尔不等式。他还发现,量子力学关于关联的计算结果违背贝尔不等式,可以在类空距离上展现出“鬼魅”的长程量子关联。这种长程关联看似有超光速的“超距作用”,但这只是人们明显或潜在地使用了“波包塌缩假设”。EPR文章明显地采用这个假设推断远方客体共存的物理实在要素,由此对量子力学完备性提出质疑。文章评述了阿斯佩、克劳泽和塞林格荣获诺贝尔物理学奖的关于贝尔不等式违背的判定性实验,介绍了华人物理学家在纠缠态和贝尔不等式研究方面的基础性贡献,包括早年吴健雄利用正负电子湮灭产生EPR光子的先驱性实验,李政道和杨振宁关于产生两个中性K介子K⁰—${rm{bar K}}$⁰形成EPR态的建议,史砚华、欧泽宇、彭堃墀等利用非线性光学晶体,包括陈创天等人发现的非线性光学晶体,产生纠缠光子对的原创性工作。     

Bell’s Inequality Tests with Meson–Antimeson Pairs

Recent proposals to test Bell’s inequalities with entangled pairs of pseudoscalar mesons are reviewed. This includes pairs of neutral kaons or B-mesons and offers some hope to close both the locality and the detection loopholes. Specific difficulties, however, appear thus invalidating most of those proposals. The best option requires the use of kaon regeneration effects and could lead to a successful test if moderate K⁰ and k̄⁰ detection efficiencies are achieved.     

Quantum Mechanics is About Quantum Information

I argue that quantum mechanics is fundamentally a theory about the representation and manipulation of information, not a theory about the mechanics of nonclassical waves or particles. The notion of quantum information is to be understood as a new physical primitive---just as, following Einsteins special theory of relativity, a field is no longer regarded as the physical manifestation of vibrations in a mechanical medium, but recognized as a new physical entity in its own right.     

Is Causality a Necessary Tool for Understanding Our Universe,or Is It a Part of the Problem?

In this paper, the concept of causality in physics is discussed. Causality is a necessary tool for the understanding of almost all physical phenomena. However, taking it as a fundamental principle may lead us to wrong conclusions, particularly in cosmology. Here, three very well-known problems—the Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen paradox, the accelerating expansion and the asymmetry of time—are discussed from this perspective. In particular, the implications of causality are compared to those of an alternative approach, where we instead take the probability space of all possible developments as the starting point.     

New loophole for the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox

Using the new concept of "stochastic gauge system", we describe a novel loophole to circumvent the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox. We derive a "realistic" (i.e., classical) model, free from any paradox, which exactly emulates the spin EPR experiment. We conclude that Bell's inequalities are violated in classical physics as well, or, conversely that quantum mechanical theory is logically consistent with relativity.     

Bell's inequalities between independent particles

The prospect of inducing quantum correlations between two particles that have never interacted is discussed. It is shown that a quantum mechanical state can be formed that predicts violations of Bell's inequalities of the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt type between two particles which have been at space-like separations for all times. It is also shown that these are the strongest inequalities derivable from a general local realistic theory using the same strong locality assumptions as in the Bell inequalities.     

Against ‘Realism’

We examine the prevalent use of the phrase “local realism” in the context of Bell’s Theorem and associated experiments, with a focus on the question: what exactly is the ‘realism’ in ‘local realism’ supposed to mean? Carefully surveying several possible meanings, we argue that all of them are flawed in one way or another as attempts to point out a second premise (in addition to locality) on which the Bell inequalities rest, and (hence) which might be rejected in the face of empirical data violating the inequalities. We thus suggest that the phrase ‘local realism’ should be banned from future discussions of these issues, and urge physicists to revisit the foundational questions behind Bell’s Theorem.     

2022年诺贝尔物理学奖的科学内涵辨识

2022年的诺贝尔物理学奖,被一些人误解为证明了量子纠缠现象。实际上,包括爱因斯坦本人都承认量子纠缠,关键在于如何诠释。今年诺贝尔物理学奖的价值在于这几位物理学家以无可争辩的实验事实,证明了基于定域隐变量的贝尔不等式是不对的。目前的一些介绍文字,没有认真解释量子力学在理论上是如何批驳贝尔不等式的,同时虽对量子纠缠的物理价值多有阐述,但对其哲学意义却鲜有评述,对社会上滥用纠缠概念缺少直接批判和阐释。文章希望在这两方面有所补充。