Bell's inequalities and density matrices. Revealing hidden nonlocality.

Abstract

As is well known, quantum mechanical behavior cannot, in general, be simulated by a local hidden variables model. Most -if not all- the proofs of this incompatibility refer to the correlations which arise when each of two (or more) systems separated in space is subjected to a single ideal measurement. This setting is good enough to show contradictions between local hidden variables models and quantum mechanics in the case of pure states. However, as shown here, it is not powerful enough in the case of mixtures. This is illustrated by an example. In this example, the correlations which arise when each of two systems separated in space is subjected to a single ideal measurement are classical; only when each system is subjected to a {\it sequence} of ideal measurements non-classical correlations are obtained. We also ask whether there are situations for which even this last procedure is not powerful enough and non-ideal measurements have to be considered as well.