Bypassing Spin-Analyzing Power Dependence for Quantum Entanglement at Colliders: A Case Study of $\Lambda\bar{\Lambda}$

Abstract

We study, as a concrete case study using the $\Lambda(\to p\pi^-)\bar{\Lambda}(\to \bar{p}\pi^+)$ system, whether quantum entanglement in fermion pairs produced at colliders can be certified solely using angular information from final-state decays, while remaining independent of the parity-violating decay parameters $\alpha_\Lambda$ and $\alpha_{\bar{\Lambda}}$. Building on a general decomposition of any angular observable in terms of Wigner d-functions, we show that the expectation value must take the form $\mathcal{O}_0+\mathcal{O}_1\alpha_\Lambda+\mathcal{O}_2\alpha_{\bar{\Lambda}}+\mathcal{O}_3\alpha_\Lambda\alpha_{\bar{\Lambda}}$, with coefficients $\mathcal{O}_i$ ($i=0,1,2,3$) linear in the spin-density matrix elements $\alpha_{k,j}\alpha^*_{m,n}$. We obtain the value ranges of observables over the general and separable spaces of $\alpha_{k,j}$, and demonstrate a sufficient entanglement condition for pure states, extending it to mixed states by convexity. In constructing an $\alpha_\Lambda$- and $\alpha_{\bar{\Lambda}}$-independent witness from angular observables alone, we find that there are obstacles to probe quantum entanglement via the inequality-type and ratio-type ways. In particular, for the ratio-type criterion ${\langle A\rangle}/{\langle B\rangle}$, the presence of zeros of $\langle B\rangle$ in both the general and separable spaces of $\alpha_{k,j}(k,j=\pm\frac{1}{2})$ results in identical value ranges of ${\langle A\rangle}/{\langle B\rangle}$ in the two spaces (covering the entire real line), thereby precluding any effective criterion. Finally, for this specific system, we present the successful constructions with additional spin information.