Proposed experiments for detecting contextual hidden variables
Quantum Physics
2025-07-15 v2
Abstract
We propose two quantum experiments - modified Bell tests - that could detect contextual hidden variables underlying quantum mechanics. The experiments are inspired by hydrodynamic pilot-wave systems that mimic a wide range of quantum effects and exhibit a classical analog of contextuality. To justify the experiments, we show that contextual hidden variables are 'physics as usual' if a unification between quantum mechanics and general relativity is possible. Accordingly, contextual theories can bypass Bell's theorem in a way that is both local and non-conspiratorial. We end with a note on the relevance of exploratory experiments in the foundations of quantum physics.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2506.02637,
title = {Proposed experiments for detecting contextual hidden variables},
author = {Konstantinos Papatryfonos and Louis Vervoort},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2506.02637},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
Accepted for publication in Foundations of Physics