Classical Physics and the Bounds of Quantum Correlations.

Area of Science:

• Quantum Information Science
• Classical Electromagnetism
• Foundations of Physics

Background:

• Quantum correlations exhibit unique numerical bounds, a subject of extensive research.
• A unifying principle for these bounds across different theories remains undiscovered.
• Understanding these bounds is crucial for distinguishing quantum from classical phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether the numerical bounds of quantum correlations are exclusive to quantum theory.
• To explore if classical systems can exhibit the same correlation bounds.
• To challenge the notion that these bounds are inherently quantum.

Main Methods:

• Developing abstract correlation scenarios with compatible measurements.
• Utilizing classical wave models, specifically classical microwaves.
• Implementing experiments using meter-size transmission-line circuits to mimic quantum probability distributions.

Main Results:

• Classical wave models produced probability distributions indistinguishable from quantum theory.
• The implemented classical microwave experiments reproduced the probabilities of three key quantum experiments.
• The study demonstrated that the observed "quantum" bounds can be replicated by classical wave phenomena.

Conclusions:

• The numerical bounds of quantum correlations are not exclusive to quantum theory.
• Classical wave phenomena can produce probability distributions and exhibit bounds identical to those in quantum mechanics.
• These findings suggest that the observed bounds might be a feature of classical physics, not exclusively quantum.