Margaret Reid (Melbourne):

Quantum mechanics versus local reality: fields and atoms

Abstract:

The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox was put forward in 1935 as an argument for the completion of quantum mechanics. It opened a pathway for understanding quantum entanglement, in particular the inconsistency between quantum mechanics and the premises of local realism. Bell's theorem later provided a direct avenue for falsifying local realism, thus ending EPR's goal of a local hidden variable theory compatible with quantum mechanics.

Experiments to date support quantum mechanics. These tests have however primarily so far been confined to small systems, with the strongest demonstrations being for photon pairs. What will happen at mesoscopic and macroscopic levels, and for massive systems is not well understood. We discuss the predictions of quantum mechanics versus mesoscopic local reality, exploring the realisation of the EPR, Leggett-Garg, and steering paradoxes for multi-qubit systems, optical amplitudes, and groups of cold atoms.

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