Bi-Contextuality: A Novel Non-Classical Phenomenon in Bipartite Quantum Systems
Abstract
We present and experimentally demonstrate a novel non-classical phenomenon, bi-contextuality, observed in quantum systems prepared by two independent sources. This discovery plays a key role in the developing framework of network nonlocality, offering a new method for confirming the quantum nature of measurements within a single network node. Bi-contextuality acts as a reversed Bell scenario: while Bell scenarios involve splitting a system for independent measurements, our approach combines systems from separate independent sources for joint measurements. The outcomes defy classical models that assume independence and non-contextuality. The simplest Bell scenario can be seen as a subset of the Peres-Mermin (PM) square, and our phenomenon represents another important subset of this framework. Moreover, bi-contextuality has notable consequences related to the Pusey-Barrett-Rudolph (PBR) theorem, suggesting that classical psi-ontic models must account for contextuality or the dependence of preparations, challenging established assumptions.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2507.08461,
title = {Bi-Contextuality: A Novel Non-Classical Phenomenon in Bipartite Quantum Systems},
author = {Gabriel Ruffolo and Nigel Benjamin Lee Junsheng and Kim Mu Young and Dzmitry Matsukevich and Rafael Rabelo and Dagomir Kaszlikowski and Paweł Kurzyński},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2507.08461},
year = {2025}
}