Quantum sets of the multicolored-graph approach to contextuality

TL;DR

This paper investigates the differences between noncontextuality and Bell scenarios using a colored-graph approach, revealing that some quantum correlations cannot be realized within Bell restrictions.

Contribution

It introduces a colored-graph framework to distinguish quantum correlations in Bell and noncontextuality scenarios, showing they are not always equivalent.

Findings

The Lovász numbers are equal for CHSH case, but theta bodies differ.

Quantum correlations exist outside Bell scenario limitations.

The colored-graph approach clarifies distinctions between contextuality and Bell inequalities.

Abstract

The CHSH inequalities are the most famous examples of Bell inequalities. Cabello, Severini, and Winter (CSW) came up with a graph approach to noncontextuality inequalities, which connects some graph-theoretic concepts to quantum and classical correlations. For example, the theta body of the exclusivity graph can be associated with the set of correlations achieved by quantum theory. Following the CSW approach, one may think that the theta body of the CHSH graph, is equal to the quantum set of the CHSH Bell inequality, but is this really true? All assumptions about the CHSH inequalities come from Bell scenarios, while CSW approach only demands the exclusivity structure of a non-contextuality (NC) scenario. To deal with the extra structure related to the presence of different players in a Bell scenario like CHSH, the colored-graph approach was introduced. Does it make any difference to think about CHSH as a Bell scenario or a more general NC scenario? The Bell CHSH inequality is represented by a bicolored graph and the NC CHSH inequality by a simple graph, which is the shadow of the colored graph. In general, we have that the theta body of the colored graph is a subset of the theta body of its shadow graph in the same way that the Lov\`asz number, which corresponds to the quantum bound, of the simple graph is greater than or equal to the Lov\`asz number of the colored graph. In the case of the CHSH inequality, we have that the Lov\`asz numbers are equal. Does this accident also hold for the corresponding quantum sets? Is it true that the theta bodies are equal, which would mean that every correlation reached by quantum theory applied to the CHSH NC scenario could also be obtained at the in principle more restrictive CHSH Bell scenario? In this paper our answer to such a question is negativ. This implies that there are quantum correlations which can not be obtained under Bell restrictions.