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Title: Unveiling contextual realities by microscopically entangling a neutron

Journal Article · · Nature Communications
ORCiD logo [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7]; ORCiD logo [6];  [8];  [8];  [8]; ORCiD logo [3];  [2];  [6];  [2]; ORCiD logo [9]
  1. Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN (United States). Dept. of Physics, Center for the Exploration of Energy and Matter, Quantum Science and Engineering Center
  2. Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN (United States). Dept. of Physics, Center for the Exploration of Energy and Matter, Quantum Science and Engineering Center
  3. Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Oxford (United Kingdom). Rutherford Appleton Lab. (RAL)
  4. BonPhysics Research and Investigations (The Netherlands)
  5. Atominstitut, Vienna (Austria)
  6. Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN (United States). Dept. of Physics, Quantum Science and Engineering Center
  7. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  8. Delft Univ. of Technology (Netherlands)
  9. Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN (United States). Dept. of Physics, Center for the Exploration of Energy and Matter, Quantum Science and Engineering Center ; Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

AbstractThe development of qualitatively new measurement capabilities is often a prerequisite for critical scientific and technological advances. Here we introduce an unconventional quantum probe, an entangled neutron beam, where individual neutrons can be entangled in spin, trajectory and energy. The spatial separation of trajectories from nanometers to microns and energy differences from peV to neV will enable investigations of microscopic magnetic correlations in systems with strongly entangled phases, such as those believed to emerge in unconventional superconductors. We develop an interferometer to prove entanglement of these distinguishable properties of the neutron beam by observing clear violations of both Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt and Mermin contextuality inequalities in the same experimental setup. Our work opens a pathway to a future of entangled neutron scattering in matter.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Adelphi Technology Inc., Redwood City, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725; SC0017127
OSTI ID:
1606032
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1787368
Journal Information:
Nature Communications, Vol. 11, Issue 1; ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (1)

Witnessing entanglement in quantum magnets using neutron scattering text January 2021

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