English

Quantum nonlocality with arbitrary limited detection efficiency

Quantum Physics 2016-01-13 v2

Abstract

The demonstration and use of nonlocality, as defined by Bell's theorem, rely strongly on dealing with non-detection events due to losses and detectors' inefficiencies. Otherwise, the so-called detection loophole could be exploited. The only way to avoid this is to have detection efficiencies that are above a certain threshold. We introduce the intermediate assumption of limited detection efficiency, that is, in each run of the experiment, the overall detection efficiency is lower bounded by ηmin>0\eta_{min} > 0. Hence, in an adversarial scenario, the adversaries have arbitrary large but not full control over the inefficiencies. We analyse the set of possible correlations that fulfill Limited Detection Locality (LDL) and show that they necessarily satisfy some linear Bell-like inequalities. We prove that quantum theory predicts the violation of one of these inequalities for all ηmin>0\eta_{min} > 0. Hence, nonlocality can be demonstrated with arbitrarily small limited detection efficiencies. We validate this assumption experimentally via a twin-photon implementation in which two users are provided with one photon each out of a partially entangled pair. We exploit on each side a passive switch followed by two measurement devices with fixed settings. Assuming the switches are not fully controlled by an adversary, nor by hypothetical local variables, we reveal the nonlocality of the established correlations despite a low overall detection efficiency.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1509.07139,
  title  = {Quantum nonlocality with arbitrary limited detection efficiency},
  author = {Gilles Pütz and Djeylan Aktas and Anthony Martin and Bruno Fedrici and Sébastien Tanzilli and Nicolas Gisin},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1509.07139},
  year   = {2016}
}

Comments

5+5 pages, 3 figures. Theory part previously put on arXiv at arXiv:1507.04937 Accepted in Physical Review Letters

R2 v1 2026-06-22T11:04:01.210Z