There Is No Action at a Distance in Quantum Mechanics, Spooky or Otherwise

TL;DR

The paper argues that claims of 'spooky action at a distance' in quantum mechanics are incorrect, clarifying that quantum entanglement does not imply nonlocality or action at a distance, contrary to popular interpretations.

Contribution

It clarifies misconceptions about quantum nonlocality, emphasizing that entanglement does not entail action at a distance and critiques misinterpretations of Bell's theorem.

Findings

Quantum entanglement does not imply nonlocal action.

Bell's theorem does not prove nonlocality of quantum mechanics.

Misinterpretations of Einstein's views are addressed.

Abstract

I feel compelled to respond to the frequent references to spooky action at a distance that often accompany reports of experiments investigating entangled quantum mechanical states. Most, but not all, of these articles have appeared in the popular press. As an experimentalist I have great admiration for such experiments and the concomitant advances in quantum information and quantum computing, but accompanying claims of action at a distance are quite simply nonsense. Some physicists and philosophers of science have bought into the story by promoting the nonlocal nature of quantum mechanics. In 1964, John Bell proved that classical hidden variable theories cannot reproduce the predictions of quantum mechanics unless they employ some type of action at a distance. I have no problem with this conclusion. Unfortunately, Bell later expanded his analysis and mistakenly deduced that quantum mechanics and by implication nature herself are nonlocal. In addition, some of these articles present Einstein in caricature, a tragic figure who neither understood quantum mechanics nor believed it to be an accurate theory of nature. Consequently, the current experiments have proven him wrong. This is also nonsense.