Comment on "Cosmic Bell Test: Measurement Settings from Milky Way Stars"

TL;DR

This comment clarifies the foundational assumptions of Bell's theorem, showing how measurement independence and determinism follow from more basic premises like free variables, causal arrow of time, local causality, and perfect correlations.

Contribution

It demonstrates that key assumptions in Bell's theorem are derived from fundamental premises, clarifying conceptual foundations and addressing retro-causal models.

Findings

Measurement independence follows from free variables and causal arrow of time.

Determinism follows from local causality and perfect correlations.

Clarifies assumptions underlying Bell's theorem.

Abstract

This Comment argues that two assumptions, which are presented as basic assumptions of Bell's theorem in [J. Handsteiner et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 060401 (2017)] and elsewhere, in fact follow from more basic premises. Measurement independence follows from (i) the use of free variables and (ii) the causal arrow of time. Determinism follows from (i) local causality and (ii) perfect correlations (predicted by quantum mechanics). In particular, it is pointed out that the measurement-independence violating toy model of [M.J.W. Hall, Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 250404 (2010)], is based on a retro-causal model. While this may be controversial, it should be possible to achieve concensus on the much simpler matter of what the basic assumptions of Bell's theorem are.