Random Interactions

Contextuality in the presence of noise

by Dr. Ravi Kunjwal (Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada)

Monday, December 19, 2016 from to (Asia/Kolkata)
at A 304
Description
Contextuality is often cited as a key feature of quantum theory that sets it apart from classical probabilistic theories and powers many of its computational and information-theoretic advantages. However, the Kochen Specker theorem -- which underpins the traditional notion of contextuality -is a statement about ideal quantum measurements. Indeed, its experimental testability has been a subject of intense debate in the past, primarily on account of the finite precision of real-world measurements. I will outline a recent approach to devising tests of contextuality that can deal with the inevitable presence of noise in experimental data. This approach, initiated by Spekkens a decade ago, does not require one to presume that the experimental data fits a quantum model and therefore also allows for a test of contextuality robust to potential modifications of quantum theory. In doing so, one gets a glimpse of contextuality beyond the Kochen-Specker theorem.