Quantum Entanglement in High Energy Physics
Summary
Quantum entanglement, a non-classical correlation between subsystems, has emerged as a powerful probe in high energy physics. By exploiting entangled states of fundamental particles produced in collider experiments, researchers can investigate both the underpinnings of quantum theory and the structure of the Standard Model. Entanglement arises naturally in processes such as particle–antiparticle pair production and boson decays, with spin, helicity or polarisation degrees of freedom providing the relevant qubits or higher-dimensional systems. Measurements of entanglement enable tests of Bell inequalities, which distinguish quantum predictions from local hidden variable theories. Furthermore, the quantification of entanglement through measures like concurrence or entropic criteria offers sensitivity to subtle effects beyond the Standard Model, serving as complementary observables in searches for new physics. Experimental realisations at facilities such as the LHC have demonstrated the feasibility of these approaches, paving the way for precision studies that bridge quantum information science and particle phenomenology.
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Quantum Entanglement in High Energy Physics publication trend
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Technical terms
Quantum entanglement: A non-classical correlation in which the quantum state of each particle cannot be described independently of the state of the others.
Bell inequalities: Mathematical constraints that local hidden variable theories must satisfy; their violation signals genuine quantum correlations.
Concurrence: An entanglement measure for bipartite systems that quantifies the degree of quantum correlation between two qubits or higher-dimensional analogues.
Spin density matrix: A statistical representation of the spin state of particles produced in high energy processes, incorporating both pure states and statistical mixtures.
Quantum tomography: A set of techniques for reconstructing the full quantum state of a system from a series of measurements on ensemble samples.
References
- Probing new physics through entanglement in diboson production. Journal of High Energy Physics (2023).
- Testing entanglement and Bell inequalities in H→ZZ. Physical Review D (2023).
- Entanglement and quantum tomography with top quarks at the LHC. The European Physical Journal Plus (2021).
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