Hannover 2013 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 46: Quantum information: Concepts and methods IV

Q 46.6: Talk

Thursday, March 21, 2013, 12:15–12:30, E 001

Non-Contextual Evolution: Generalizing and Testing the Kochen-Specker Theorem — •Jochen Szangolies, Matthias Kleinmann, and Otfried Gühne — Naturwissenschaftlich-Technische Fakultät, Walter-Flex-Str. 3, Universität Siegen

The Kochen-Specker theorem establishes the impossibility of completing quantum mechanics using noncontextual hidden variables. However, its experimental testability has been subject to some controversy. A reason for this is that (non-)contextuality in the Kochen-Specker sense is only applicable in the case of perfectly compatible observables. However, in real experiments, this cannot be achieved. We address this problem by introducing a generalized notion of noncontextuality that applies to a system subject to stochastic noncontextual evolution, and thus, is applicable even in the case of incompatible observables. This can be seen as a combination of the ideas behind the Leggett-Garg and Kochen-Specker `no-go' results. On these grounds we then propose inequalities that are obeyed by any noncontextually evolving system, but violated by quantum mechanics. Since the class of hidden variable theories we consider includes the Kochen-Specker noncontextual ones, observing such a violation implies an experimental test of the Kochen-Specker theorem free from the problem of compatibility.