Precision tests of Quantum Mechanics and CPT symmetry with entangled neutral kaons at KLOE

TL;DR

This paper tests quantum mechanics and CPT symmetry using entangled neutral kaons at KLOE, finding no deviations but setting the most stringent limits to date, with potential sensitivity to quantum gravity effects.

Contribution

It provides the most precise measurements of decoherence and CPT violation parameters in entangled kaons, improving constraints on quantum gravity models.

Findings

No deviation from quantum mechanics or CPT symmetry detected.

Most stringent limits on decoherence and CPT violation parameters to date.

Sensitivity reaches levels where quantum gravity effects could be observed in optimistic scenarios.

Abstract

The quantum interference between the decays of entangled neutral kaons is studied in the process $\phi\rightarrow K_S K_L \rightarrow\pi^+\pi^-\pi^+\pi^-$, which exhibits the characteristic Einstein--Podolsky--Rosen correlations that prevent both kaons to decay into $\pi^+\pi^-$ at the same time. This constitutes a very powerful tool for testing at the utmost precision the quantum coherence of the entangled kaon pair state, and to search for tiny decoherence and CPT violation effects, which may be justified in a quantum gravity framework. The analysed data sample was collected with the KLOE detector at DA$\Phi$NE, the Frascati $\phi$-factory, and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of about 1.7 fb$^{-1}$, i.e. to about $1.7 \times 10^9$ $\phi\rightarrow K_S K_L$ decays produced. From the fit of the observed $\Delta t$ distribution, being $\Delta t$ the difference of the kaon decay times, the decoherence and CPT violation parameters of various phenomenological models are measured with a largely improved accuracy with respect to previous analyses. The results are consistent with no deviation from quantum mechanics and CPT symmetry, while for some parameters the precision reaches the interesting level at which -- in the most optimistic scenarios -- quantum gravity effects might show up. They provide the most stringent limits up to date on the considered models.