Shen J, Kuhn S J, Dalgliesh R M, de Haan V O, Geerits N, Irfan A A M, Li F, Lu S, Parnell S R, Plomp J, van Well A A, Washington A, Baxter D V, Ortiz G, Snow W M, Pynn R
Department of Physics, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA.
Indiana University Center for the Exploration of Energy and Matter, Bloomington, IN, 47408, USA.
Nat Commun. 2020 Feb 18;11(1):930. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-14741-y.
The development of qualitatively new measurement capabilities is often a prerequisite for critical scientific and technological advances. Here we introduce an unconventional quantum probe, an entangled neutron beam, where individual neutrons can be entangled in spin, trajectory and energy. The spatial separation of trajectories from nanometers to microns and energy differences from peV to neV will enable investigations of microscopic magnetic correlations in systems with strongly entangled phases, such as those believed to emerge in unconventional superconductors. We develop an interferometer to prove entanglement of these distinguishable properties of the neutron beam by observing clear violations of both Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt and Mermin contextuality inequalities in the same experimental setup. Our work opens a pathway to a future of entangled neutron scattering in matter.
定性全新测量能力的发展往往是关键科技进步的先决条件。在此，我们介绍一种非常规量子探针——纠缠中子束，其中单个中子可在自旋、轨迹和能量方面实现纠缠。轨迹从纳米到微米的空间分离以及能量从皮电子伏特到纳电子伏特的差异，将使我们能够研究具有强纠缠相的系统中的微观磁关联，比如那些被认为出现在非常规超导体中的系统。我们开发了一种干涉仪，通过在同一实验装置中观察到对克劳泽 - 霍恩 - 希莫尼 - 霍尔特不等式和默明语境不等式的明显违背，来证明中子束这些可区分属性的纠缠。我们的工作为未来物质中的纠缠中子散射开辟了一条道路。
