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Universal quantum theory contains twisted logic

Authors :
Atzori, Francesco
Rebufello, Enrico
Violaris, Maria
Knoll, Laura T.
Alhajri, Abdulla
Avella, Alessio
Gramegna, Marco
Marletto, Chiara
Vedral, Vlatko
Piacentini, Fabrizio
Degiovanni, Ivo Pietro
Genovese, Marco
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

Quantum theory is notoriously counterintuitive, and yet remains entirely self-consistent when applied universally. Here we uncover a new manifestation of its unusual consequences. We demonstrate, theoretically and experimentally (by means of polarization-encoded single-photon qubits), that Heisenberg's uncertainty principle leads to the impossibility of stringing together logical deductions about outcomes of consecutive non-compatible measurements. This phenomenon resembles the geometry of a Penrose triangle, where each corner is locally consistent while the global structure is impossible. Besides this, we show how overlooking this non-trivial logical structure leads to the erroneous possibility of distinguishing non-orthogonal states with a single measurement.

Subjects

Subjects :
Quantum Physics

Details

Database :
arXiv
Publication Type :
Report
Accession number :
edsarx.2409.20480
Document Type :
Working Paper