Very strong evidence in favor of quantum mechanics and against local hidden variables from a Bayesian analysis

TL;DR

This paper uses Bayesian analysis to evaluate four recent experiments, providing strong statistical evidence supporting quantum mechanics over local hidden variable theories, thereby reinforcing the nonlocal nature of quantum phenomena.

Contribution

It applies Bayesian statistical methods to experimental data, offering a robust quantitative assessment favoring quantum mechanics over local hidden variables.

Findings

Each experiment provides strong evidence for quantum mechanics.

Bayesian analysis confirms the rejection of local hidden variable theories.

Supports the nonlocal interpretation of quantum phenomena.

Abstract

The data of four recent experiments --- conducted in Delft, Vienna, Boulder, and Munich with the aim of refuting nonquantum hidden-variables alternatives to the quantum-mechanical description --- are evaluated from a Bayesian perspective of what constitutes evidence in statistical data. We find that each of the experiments provides strong, or very strong, evidence in favor of quantum mechanics and against the nonquantum alternatives. This Bayesian analysis supplements the previous non-Bayesian ones, which refuted the alternatives on the basis of small p-values, but could not support quantum mechanics.