Testing real quantum theory in an optical quantum network
Abstract
Quantum theory is commonly formulated in complex Hilbert spaces. However, the question of whether complex numbers need to be given a fundamental role in the theory has been debated since its pioneering days. Recently it has been shown that tests in the spirit of a Bell inequality can reveal quantum predictions in entanglement swapping scenarios that cannot be modelled by the natural real-number analog of standard quantum theory. Here, we tailor such tests for implementation in state-of-the-art photonic systems. We experimentally demonstrate quantum correlations in a network of three parties and two independent EPR sources that violate the constraints of real quantum theory by over standard deviations, hence disproving real quantum theory as a universal physical theory.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2111.15128,
title = {Testing real quantum theory in an optical quantum network},
author = {Zheng-Da Li and Ya-Li Mao and Mirjam Weilenmann and Armin Tavakoli and Hu Chen and Lixin Feng and Sheng-Jun Yang and Marc-Olivier Renou and David Trillo and Thinh P. Le and Nicolas Gisin and Antonio Acín and Miguel Navascués and Zizhu Wang and Jingyun Fan},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2111.15128},
year = {2022}
}
Comments
9 pages, 6 figures