Non-locality:what are the odds?

Abstract

As part of a challenge to critics of Bell's analysis of the EPR argument, framed in the form of a bet, R. D. Gill formulated criteria to assure that all non-locality is precluded from simulation-algorithms used to test Bell's theorem. This is achieved in part by parceling out the subroutines for the source and both detectors to three separate computers. He argues that, in light of Bell's theorem, following these criteria absolutely precludes mimicking EPR-B correlations as computed with Quantum Mechanics and observed in experiments. Herein, nevertheless, we describe just such an local algorithm, fully faithful to his criteria, that yields results mimicking exactly quantum correlations. We observe that our simulation-algorithm succeeds by altering an implicit assumption made by Bell to the equivalent effect that the source of EPR pairs is a single Poisson process followed by deterministic detection. Instead we assume the converse, namely that the source is deterministic but detection involves multiple, independent Poisson processes, one at each detector with an intensity given by Malus' Law. Finally, we speculate on some consequences this might have for quantum computing algorithms.