Bell correlations between spatially separated pairs of atoms.
Nat Commun 2019;
10:4447. [PMID:
31575860 PMCID:
PMC6773866 DOI:
10.1038/s41467-019-12192-8]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Bell correlations are a foundational demonstration of how quantum entanglement contradicts the classical notion of local realism. Rigorous validation of quantum nonlocality have only been achieved between solid-state electron spins, internal states of trapped atoms, and photon polarisations, all weakly coupling to gravity. Bell tests with freely propagating massive particles, which could provide insights into the link between gravity and quantum mechanics, have proven to be much more challenging to realise. Here we use a collision between two Bose-Einstein condensates to generate spin entangled pairs of ultracold helium atoms, and measure their spin correlations along uniformly rotated bases. We show that correlations in the pairs agree with the theoretical prediction of a Bell triplet state, and observe a quantum mechanical witness of Bell correlations with \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$6\sigma$$\end{document}6σ significance. Extensions to this scheme could find promising applications in quantum metrology, as well as for investigating the interplay between quantum mechanics and gravity.
Entangled particles some distance apart can be used to show the strikingly nonlocal nature of quantum mechanics. Here the authors generate spatially separated pairs of helium atoms by colliding Bose-Einstein condensates and show that they are entangled by observing nonlocal correlations.
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