Local hidden-variable theory: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Interpretation of quantum mechanics}}

{{quantum|cTopic=Interpretations}}

In the [[Interpretations of quantum mechanics|interpretation of quantum mechanics]], a '''local hidden-variable theory''' is a [[hidden-variable theory]] that satisfies the [[principle of locality]]. These are models, not necessarily [[Determinism|deterministic]], that attempt to account for the probabilistic features of [[quantum mechanics]] via the mechanism of underlying, but inaccessible variables, with the additional requirement that distant events be statistically independent.

The mathematical implications of a local hidden-variable theory with regards to [[quantum entanglement]] were explored by physicist [[John Stewart Bell]], who in 1964 [[Bell's theorem|proved]] that broad classes of local hidden-variable theories cannot reproduce the correlations between measurement outcomes that quantum mechanics predicts, a result since confirmed by a range of detailed [[Bell test]] experiments.<ref>{{cite news |last=Markoff |first=Jack |date=21 October 2015 |title=Sorry, Einstein. Quantum Study Suggests 'Spooky Action' Is Real. |work=[[New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/22/science/quantum-theory-experiment-said-to-prove-spooky-interactions.html}}</ref>