Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Quantum mechanics

To be or not to be local

The experimental violation of mathematical relations known as Bell's inequalities sounded the death-knell of Einstein's idea of 'local realism' in quantum mechanics. But which concept, locality or realism, is the problem?

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Dowling, J. & Milburn, G. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A 361, 1655–1674 (2003).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Aspect, A. in Bell, J. Speakable and Unspeakable in Quantum Mechanics, xvii–xxxix (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2004).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Einstein, A., Podolsky, B. & Rosen, N. Phys. Rev. 47, 777–780 (1935).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Bell, J. Physics 1, 195–200 (1964); reprinted in Bell, J. Speakable and Unspeakable in Quantum Mechanics 14–21 (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2004).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Aspect, A. Nature 398, 189–190 (1999).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Leggett, A. J. Found. Phys. 33, 1469–1493 (2003).

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  7. Gröblacher, S. et al. Nature 446, 871–875 (2007).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Peres, A. Phys. Rev. A 61, 022117 (2000).

    Article  ADS  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  9. Born, M. The Born–Einstein Letters 1916–1955 (Macmillan, London, 1971).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Schilpp, P. A. (ed.) A. Einstein: Philosopher Scientist, 85 (Open Court and Cambridge Univ. Press, 1949).

  11. Clauser, J. F., Horne, M. A, Shimony, R. A. & Holt, R. A. Phys. Rev. Lett. 23, 880–884 (1969).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Freedman, S. J. & Clauser, J. F. Phys. Rev. Lett. 28, 938–941 (1972).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Aspect, A., Dalibard, J. & Roger, G. Phys. Rev. Lett. 49, 1804–1807 (1982).

    Article  ADS  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  14. Weihs, G., Jennewein, T., Simon, C., Weinfurter, H. & Zeilinger, A. Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 5039–5042 (1998).

    Article  ADS  MathSciNet  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Tittel, W., Brendel, J., Zbinden, H. & Gisin, N. Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 3563–3566 (1998).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Aspect, A. To be or not to be local. Nature 446, 866–867 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/446866a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/446866a

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing