https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2018-800049-4
Review
Bell non-locality in macroscopic systems
1
Centre for Quantum and Optical Science, Swinburne University of Technology,
Melbourne,
Victoria 3122, Australia
2
School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow,
Glasgow
G12 8QQ, UK
a e-mail: bdalton@swin.edu.au
Received:
12
April
2018
Received in final form:
18
July
2018
Published online: 13 February 2019
The categorization of quantum states for composite systems as either separable or entangled, or alternatively as Bell local or Bell non-local states based on local hidden variable theory is outlined, focusing on simple bipartite systems. The significance of states demonstrating Bell non-locality for settling the long standing controversy between the Copenhagen interpretation of the quantum measurement process involving “collapse of the wave-function” and the alternative interpretation based on pre-existing hidden variables is emphasized. Although experiments demonstrating violations of Bell locality in microscopic systems have now been carried out, there is current interest in finding Bell non-locality in quantum systems on a macroscopic scale, since this is a regime where a classical hidden variable theory might still apply. Progress towards finding macroscopic quantum states that violate Bell inequalities is reviewed. A new test for Bell non-locality that applies when the sub-system measured quantities are spin components with large outcomes is described, and applied to four mode systems of identical massive bosons in Bose-Einstein condensates.
© The Author(s) 2019
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
