When Bertlmann wears no socks. Common causes induced by measurements as an explanation for quantum correlations

TL;DR

This paper proposes that quantum correlations violating Bell's inequalities can be explained by measurement-induced, contextually actualized common causes, challenging traditional views on non-locality and causality in quantum physics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel explanation for quantum correlations based on measurement-induced common causes that depend on measurement context, expanding the understanding of quantum causality.

Findings

Measurement-induced common causes can violate Bell's inequalities.

Contextual actualization of causes explains quantum correlations.

Bell's inequalities distinguish between non-induced and measurement-induced causes.

Abstract

It is well known that correlations produced by common causes in the past cannot violate Bell's inequalities. This was emphasized by Bell in his celebrated example of Bertlmann's socks. However, if common causes are induced by the very measurement process i.e., actualized at each run of a joint measurement, in a way that depends on the type of joint measurement that is being executed (hence, the common causes are contextually actualized), the resulting correlations are able to violate Bell's inequalities, thus providing a simple and general explanation for the origin of quantum correlations. We illustrate this mechanism by revisiting Bertlmann's socks example. In doing so, we also emphasize that Bell's inequalities, in their essence, are about demarcating 'non-induced by measurements' (non-contextual) from 'induced by measurements' (contextual) common causes, where the latter would operate at a non-spatial level of our physical reality, when the jointly measured entangled entities are microscopic in nature.