arXiv subjects

Jayne Thompson

Publications and source records attributed to Jayne Thompson.

60 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Particle exchange in post-quantum theories

In quantum theory, particles in three spatial dimensions come in two different types: bosons or fermions, which exhibit sharply contrasting behaviours due to their different exchange statistics. Could more general forms of probabilistic theories admit more exotic types of particles? Here, we propose a thought experiment to identify more exotic particles in general post-quantum theories. We consider how in quantum theory the phase introduced by swapping indistinguishable particles can be measured. We generalise this to post-quantum scenarios whilst imposing indistinguishability and locality principles. We show that our ability to witness exotic particle exchange statistics depends on which symmetries are admitted within a theory. These exotic particles can manifest unusual behaviour, such as non-abelianicity even in topologically simple three-dimensional space.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

An experimental proposal for revealing contextuality in almost all qutrit states

Contextuality is a foundational phenomenon underlying key differences between quantum theory and classical realistic descriptions of the world. Here we propose an experimental test which is capable of revealing contextuality in all qutrit systems, except the completely mixed state, provided we choose the measurement basis appropriately. The 3-level system is furnished by the polarization and spatial degrees of freedom of a single photon, which encompass three orthogonal modes. Projective measurements along rays in the 3-dimensional Hilbert space are made by linear optical elements and detectors which are sensitive to a single mode. We also discuss the impact of detector inefficiency and losses and review the theoretical foundations of this test.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Contextuality in bosonic bunching

We show that under certain assumptions one can derive a variant of Specker's non-contextual inequality for a system of three indistinguishable bosonic particles. The inequality states that the sum of probabilities of three pairwise exclusive events is bounded by one. This inequality cannot be violated using standard quantum mechanical projectors. On the other hand, due to bosonic properties this bound is violated up to 3/2. We also argue that the violation of this inequality can be considered as a test of bosonic nature.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Recent advances in contextuality tests

Our everyday experiences support the hypothesis that physical systems exist independently of the act of observation. Concordant theories are characterized by the objective realism assumption whereby the act of measurement simply reveals preexisting well defined elements of reality. In stark contrast quantum mechanics portrays a world in which reality loses its objectivity and is in fact created by observation. Quantum contextuality as first discovered by Bell [Rev. Mod. Phys. 38, 447 (1966)] and Kochen-Specker [J. Math. Mech. 17, 59 (1967)] captures aspects of this philosophical clash between classical and quantum descriptions of the world. Here we briefly summarize some of the more recent advances in the field of quantum contextuality. We approach quantum contextuality through its close relation to Bell type nonlocal scenarios and highlight some of the rapidly developing tests and experimental implementations.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2012

Bosonic bunching reveals strong contextual behaviour

We show that violation of Klyachko-Can-Binicioglu-Shumovsky [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 101}, 020403 (2008)] pentagram-like inequality can exceed $\sqrt{5}$ provided that exclusive events do not have to be comeasurable and that one uses bosonic systems which exhibit bunching effects. We also show that in this case one can find three pairwise exclusive events whose sum of probabilities is 3/2.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2012

Experimental undecidability of macroscopic quantumness

Quantum mechanics marks a radical departure from the classical understanding of Nature, fostering an inherent randomness which forbids a deterministic description; yet the most fundamental departure arises from something different. As shown by Bell [1] and Kochen-Specker [2], quantum mechanics portrays a picture of the world in which reality loses its objectivity and is in fact created by observation. Quantum mechanics predicts phenomena which cannot be explained by any theory with objective realism, although our everyday experience supports the hypothesis that macroscopic objects, despite being made of quantum particles, exist independently of the act of observation; in this paper we identify this behavior as classical. Here we show that this seemingly obvious classical behavior of the macroscopic world cannot be experimentally tested and belongs to the realm of ontology similar to the dispute on the interpretations of quantum mechanics [3,4]. For small systems such as a single photon [5] or a pair [6], it has been experimentally proven that a classical description cannot be sustained. Recently, there have also been experiments that claim to have demonstrated quantum behavior of relatively large objects such as interference of fullerenes [7], the violation of Leggett-Garg inequality in Josephson junction [8], and interference between two condensed clouds of atoms [9], which suggest that there is no limit to the size of the system on which the quantum-versus-classical question can be tested. These behaviors, however, are not sufficient to refute classical description in the sense of objective reality. Our findings show that once we reach the regime where an Avogadro number of particles is present, the quantum-versus-classical question cannot be answered experimentally.

quant-ph↗