Experimental tests of general quantum theories (Q1094647)

The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen experimental set-up leads to a hierarchy of inequalities (Bell's inequality, Cirel'son's inequality, the Rastall limit) which yields an experimental test of the basic assumptions underlying classical and quantum theories. These inequalities are formulated in terms of four observables a, b, a', b' and the empirically determinable quantity \[ R=S(aa')+S(ab')+S(bb')-S(ba') \] where S denotes the empirical average value. (Note the typographical error in equation 6.) After a discussion of the general empirical framework and the quantum assumptions relative to this framework, the simple algebraic mechanism behind the inequalities is exposed by means of the identity (equation 11) \(C^ 2=4+[a,b][a',b']\) where \(C=a(a'+b')+b(b'-a')\). We note here that a simplified derivation of the Cirel'son inequality may be obtained by defining the quantity D in the same way as C but with a' and b' interchanged. It then follows from the above identity that \(C^ 2+D^ 2=8\) which gives \(C^ 2\leq 8\). Precise estimates based on the identity (equation 11) are obtained in [Phys. Lett. A 120, 54 (1987)] and an application to the non-classical structure of the vacuum is given in [ibid. 123, 115 (1987)]. An alternative derivation of the Cirel'son inequality is given in [Found. Phys. 18, 449 (1988)] as well as a strengthened inequality. That approach, although not formulated in these terms, actually shows that the Cirel'son inequality is a test of the distributivity of the observable algebras and is thus satisfied by Jordan algebras and distributive Segal algebras. By means of non-distributive algebras the Rastall limit may be attained.