Proof of a conjecture on contextuality in cyclic systems with binary variables

measurement errors signaling CHSH inequalities contextuality criterion for contextuality Klyachko-Can-Binicioglu-Shumvosky inequalities Leggett-Garg inequalities measurement bias probabilistic couplings

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Signal detection and filtering (aspects of stochastic processes) (60G35) General and philosophical questions in quantum theory (81P05) Contextuality in quantum theory (81P13) Quantum measurement theory, state operations, state preparations (81P15) Quantum coherence, entanglement, quantum correlations (81P40)

Abstract: We present a proof for a conjecture previously formulated by Dzhafarov, Kujala, and Larsson (Foundations of Physics, in press, arXiv:1411.2244). The conjecture specifies a measure for the degree of contextuality and a criterion (necessary and sufficient condition) for contextuality in a broad class of quantum systems. This class includes Leggett-Garg, EPR/Bell, and Klyachko-Can-Binicioglu-Shumovsky type systems as special cases. In a system of this class certain physical properties

q_{1}, ..., q_{n}

are measured in pairs

(q_{i}, q_{j})

; every property enters in precisely two such pairs; and each measurement outcome is a binary random variable. Denoting the measurement outcomes for a property

q_{i}

in the two pairs it enters by

V_{i}

and

W_{i}

, the pair of measurement outcomes for

(q_{i}, q_{j})

is

(V_{i}, W_{j})

. Contextuality is defined as follows: one computes the minimal possible value

D e l t a_{0}

for the sum of

P r [V_{i} o t = W_{i}]

(over

i = 1, ..., n

) that is allowed by the individual distributions of

V_{i}

and

W_{i}

; one computes the minimal possible value

D e l t a_{m i n}

for the sum of

P r [V_{i} o t = W_{i}]

across all possible couplings of (i.e., joint distributions imposed on) the entire set of random variables

V_{1}, W_{1}, ..., V_{n}, W_{n}

in the system; and the system is considered contextual if

D e l t a_{m i n} > D e l t a_{0}

(otherwise

D e l t a_{m i n} = D e l t a_{0}

). This definition has its justification in the general approach dubbed Contextuality-by-Default, and it allows for measurement errors and signaling among the measured properties. The conjecture proved in this paper specifies the value of

D e l t a_{m i n} - D e l t a_{0}

in terms of the distributions of the measurement outcomes

(V_{i}, W_{j})

.

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