Anti-Correlated Photons from Classical Electromagnetism

TL;DR

This paper reveals that perfect anti-correlations observed in entangled photon experiments can also be explained by classical electromagnetic theory, challenging the notion that such phenomena are exclusively quantum.

Contribution

It demonstrates that classical electromagnetism can account for anti-correlations typically attributed to quantum entanglement, offering new insights into quantum foundations.

Findings

Classical electromagnetic theory reproduces anti-correlations in two-photon experiments.

The results suggest a classical explanation for phenomena usually considered quantum.

Analysis provides alternative perspectives on entanglement and quantum foundations.

Abstract

For any experiment with two entangled photons, some joint measurement outcomes can have zero probability for a precise choice of basis. These perfect anti-correlations would seem to be a purely quantum phenomenon. It is therefore surprising that these very anti-correlations are also evident when the input to the same experiment is analyzed via classical electromagnetic theory. Demonstrating this quantum-classical connection for arbitrary two-photon states (and analyzing why it is successful) motivates alternative perspectives concerning entanglement, the path integral, and other topics in quantum foundations.