Quantum Engineering in the Undergraduate Laboratory: Tests and Violations of Local Realism
Abstract
The application of quantum mechanics to computing, communication, and sensing may constitute a revolution in technology. Furthermore, the field of quantum foundations has experienced high-profile success, especially in recent years, prompting the need to provide exposure to applied quantum engineering at the undergraduate level in order to ensure the development of a "quantum workforce." Entanglement is a critical aspect of quantum technology and is fundamental to quantum foundations, but entangled systems behave in strange ways. Classical systems behave in accordance with the concepts put forth by local realism, which characterizes systems as only being affected by their surroundings and that this influence cannot travel faster than the speed of light, as well as that properties of such a system are real and exist independent of a measurement made on those properties. Quantum systems, on the other hand, do not abide by the concepts of local realism and often behave in strange ways that are counter-intuitive to our classical view of the world. This project analyzes the behavior of entangled systems and the concepts of local realism through experimental verification. The initial phase of this project builds and characterizes the first entangled photon source available to undergraduates at the United States Naval Academy. Utilizing the techniques of spontaneous parametric down-conversion, we have built a high luminosity source of entangled photons integrated to optical fiber and characterized with modular single photon avalanche photodiodes. The final phase of this project conducts tests of local realism set forth by John Glauser and Alain Aspect. The primary focus of this phase is a test of the CHSH inequality as an experimentally accessible test of Bell's theorem. We use this test of local realism to further characterize the system and enable future exploration in applications of quantum information science, such as quantum computing and quantum cryptography.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 16, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1207065
Entities
People
- Robert L. Hare
Organizations
- United States Naval Academy