We propose a test of macrorealism that exploits the contextuality of two-time correlation functions to escape the so-called clumsiness loophole that plagues Leggett-Garg inequalities. The non-contextuality of reduced joint probability distributions is proven to be an unequivocal criterion to guarantee that measurements are carried out in the ideally-weak measurement regime of a class of generalized von Neumann measurements. In this regime, testing the so-called no-signaling in time condition allows to uncontextually ascertain whether a property of a given system is macrorealistic or non-macrorealistic. The resulting protocol allows for tests of macrorealism in situations where Leggett-Garg inequalities and ideal negative measurement cannot be used at all.
We present a loophole-free violation of local realism using entangled photon pairs. We ensure that all relevant events in our Bell test are spacelike separated by placing the parties far enough apart and by using fast random number generators and high-speed polarization measurements. A high-quality polarization-entangled source of photons, combined with high-efficiency, low-noise, single-photon detectors, allows us to make measurements without requiring any fair-sampling assumptions. Using a hypothesis test, we compute p-values as small as $5.9times 10^{-9}$ for our Bell violation while maintaining the spacelike separation of our events. We estimate the degree to which a local realistic system could predict our measurement choices. Accounting for this predictability, our smallest adjusted p-value is $2.3 times 10^{-7}$. We therefore reject the hypothesis that local realism governs our experiment.
We investigate the influence of environmental noise on polarization entangled light generated by parametric emission in a cavity. By adopting a recently developed separability criterion, we show that: i) self-stimulation may suppress the detrimental influence of noise on entanglement; ii) when self-stimulation becomes effective, a classical model of parametric emission incorporating noise provides the same results of quantum theory for the expectation values involved in the separability criterion. Moreover we show that, in the macroscopic limit, it is impossible to observe violations of local realism with measurements of $n$-particle correlations, whatever n but finite. These results provide an interesting example of the emergence of macroscopic local realism in the presence of strong entanglement even in the absence of decoherence.
We propose a feasible optical setup allowing for a loophole-free Bell test with efficient homodyne detection. A non-gaussian entangled state is generated from a two-mode squeezed vacuum by subtracting a single photon from each mode, using beamsplitters and standard low-efficiency single-photon detectors. A Bell violation exceeding 1% is achievable with 6-dB squeezed light and an homodyne efficiency around 95%. A detailed feasibility analysis, based upon the recent generation of single-mode non-gaussian states, confirms that this method opens a promising avenue towards a complete experimental Bell test.
So far, all experimental tests of Bell inequalities which must be satisfied by all local realistic hidden-variable theories and are violated by quantum mechanical predictions have left at least one loophole open. We propose a feasible setup allowing for a loophole-free test of the Bell inequalities. Two electron spin qubits of phosphorus donors in semiconductors in different cavities 300 m apart are entangled through a bright coherent light and postselections using homodyne measurements. The electron spins are then read out randomly and independently by Alice and Bob, respectively, with unity efficiency in less than 0.7$mu$s by using optically induced spin to charge transduction detected by radio-frequency single electron transistor. A violation of Bell inequality larger than 37% and 18% is achievable provided that the detection accuracy is 0.99 and 0.95, respectively.
We describe a new and experimentally feasible protocol for performing fundamental tests of quantum mechanics with massive objects. In our approach a single two level system is used to probe the motion of a nanomechanical resonator via multiple Ramsey interference measurements. This scheme enables the measurement of modular variables of macroscopic continuous variable systems and we show that correlations thereof violate a Leggett-Garg inequality and can be applied for tests of quantum contextuality. Our method can be implemented with a variety of different solid state or photonic qubit-resonator systems and provides a clear experimental signature to distinguish the predictions of quantum mechanics from those of other alternative theories at a macroscopic scale.