Experimental observation of Hardy-like quantum contextuality

TL;DR

This paper reports an experimental demonstration of a fundamental quantum property called contextuality, using a new measurement method on photons, which advances understanding and potential applications in quantum computation.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel measurement technique for sequential measurements on photons, enabling clearer observation of quantum contextuality.

Findings

Successful experimental observation of Hardy-like quantum contextuality

Demonstration of a new measurement method for quantum experiments

Potential for new fundamental tests and quantum applications

Abstract

Contextuality is a fundamental property of quantum theory and a critical resource for quantum computation. Here, we experimentally observe the arguably cleanest form of contextuality in quantum theory [A. Cabello \emph{et al.}, Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{111}, 180404 (2013)] by implementing a novel method for performing two sequential measurements on heralded photons. This method opens the door to a variety of fundamental experiments and applications.