The CHSH Inequality for Two Four-Dimensional

Quantum Systems

Melvyn HO∗, Valerio SCARANI†

Centre for Quantum Technologies National University of Singapore

Block S15, 3 Science Drive 2 Singapore 117543
October 23, 2009

Abstract
The CHSH inequality is the most well known and widely used version of Bell’s
inequalities, and serves as a measure of ‘entanglement’, which is the distinguishing
factor that sets quantum mechanics apart from all other physical theories. The EPR
paper, and Bell’s 1964 paper, both utilise entangled states in order to display this
strange nature of quantum mechanics. This project seeks to explore the CHSH op-
erator in 4-dimensional bipartite systems by first investigating the properties of the
CHSH operator in 2-dimensional bipartite systems.

Backdrop
Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen, dissatisfied with the disturbing predictions of the theory of
quantum mechanics, wrote the famous EPR paper in 1935 questioning the completeness
of this new theory. In that paper they concluded that quantum mechanics was unable to
provide a complete description of physical reality. John Bell’s 1964 response, in an attempt
to address this issue of completeness, created a quantifiable measure now known as Bell’s
inequality, investigating the correlations between two lists of observed results between two
parties.
Bell simply assumed that local hidden variables existed, and then proceeded to derive the
inequality for perfectly anti-correlated states with outcomes ±1. He then showed that the
accurate predictions of quantum mechanics were simply incompatible with any local hidden
∗
Student
†
Supervisor

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variable theory. The shockwave that spread through the scientific community marked the
end of local realism.
In 1969, Clauser, Horne, Shimony and Holt proposed a modification of Bell’s inequality;
now known as the CHSH inequality, with two parties and each party measuring in two
possible measurement directions. This inequality relaxed Bell’s constraint of anti-correlated
states, allowing for a larger class of states to be studied. Indeed, with this modification, all
possible 2-level systems can be studied using operators of eigenvalues ±1.

The CHSH Operator in 2 dimensions

The CHSH operator is written as follows:
√
hâ ⊗ b̂i + hâ0 ⊗ b̂i + hâ ⊗ b̂0 i − hâ0 ⊗ b̂0 i ≤ 2 (1)
Each â, â0 , b̂, b̂0 represents an operator σ̂i that returns ±1 as an eigenvalue. The expec-
tation value hâ ⊗ b̂i gives the correlation between the measured values of each setting of the
apparatus. The tensor product â ⊗ b̂ is simply the Kronecker product of the two operators
In two dimensions the quantum state of each system is given by a column vector |↑e i:

µ ¶
cos 2θ
|↑e i = (2)
eiφ sin 2θ
One can construct σe by assigning the appropriate eigenvalues to the vectors |↑e i and
|↓e i. Given an arbitrary |↑e i, one writes |↓e i, and consequently σˆe :

µ ¶
−e−iφ sin 2θ
|↓e i = (3)
cos 2θ

σˆe =|↑e ih↑e | − |↓e ih↓e | (4)

One can verify the completeness relation in 2 dimensions:
µ ¶
1 0
|↑e ih↑e | + |↓e ih↓e |= (5)
0 1
Special cases of the σe yield the Pauli matrices:

µ ¶ µ ¶ µ ¶
0 1 0 −i 1 0
σx = , σy = , σz =
1 0 i 0 0 −1

when selecting appropriate vectors for |↑x i, |↑y i and |↑z i.

If the quantum state under study is composed by two 2-dimensional systems, one can
analytically determine the optimal measurement settings of the CHSH operator. In other
words, one can optimise the settings for a given quantum state so as to detect violations of
the CHSH inequality.

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Generalising the CHSH Operator to 4 dimensions
Given an arbitrary |↑e i in 2 dimensions, one can find a unique |↓e i. This is not true for a 4
dimensional vector space.
Instead, one may view:

µ ¶ µ ¶
σx 0 σz 0
Γx := , Γz :=
0 σx 0 σz

as two generalised Pauli matrices.

Thus one can consider

A(α) := Γx sin(α) + Γz cos(α) (6)

B(β) := Γx sin(β) + Γz cos(β) (7)

as new operators in 4 dimensions. Given this formalism one can proceed to compute
numerically the variations of (6) and (7)as one notes Γx and Γz are operators with eigenvalues
±1.
The approach will be to consider operators of the form

 
+1
 −1  †
Â1 = ÛAˆ1 

 Û
 Aˆ1 (8)
+1
−1

where

Û = eiĤ (9)

The abovementioned Ĥ is a 4x4 Hermitian matrix having 16 real parameters. Max-

imising the CHSH sum is then a question of optimising 64 real parameters. One can then
investigate the optimised CHSH operator for various bipartite 4-dimensional quantum states.

Acknowledgement
We would like to acknowledge the Centre of Quantum Technologies and the NUS Physics
Department for providing the resources to make this project possible.

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References
[1] Bell, John S. 1964 ‘On the Einstein Podolsky Rosen Paradox’, Physics Vol 1, 195-200.

[2] Braunstein, Samuel L., Mann, A. and Revzen, M. 1992 ‘Maximal Violation of Bell
Inequalities for Mixed States’, Phy. Rev. Lett. Vol 68, 3259-3261.

[3] Einstein, A., Podolsky, B., Rosen, N. 1935 Phy. Rev. Vol 47, 777-780.

[4] Englert, B.G. (2006) Lectures on Quantum Mechanics. Vol 1: Basic Matters, World
Scientific Publishing, Danvers, USA.

[5] Gisin, N. and Peres, A. 1992 ‘Maximal violation of Bell’s inequality for arbitrarily large
spin’, Phy. Lett. A Vol 162, 15-17.

[6] Horodecki, R. , Horodecki, P. and Horodecki, M. 1995 ‘Violating Bell inequality by

mixed spin- 21 states: necessary and sufficient condition’, Phy. Lett. A Vol 200, 340-344.

[7] Peres, A. 1995 Quantum Theory: Concepts and Methods, Kluwer Academic Publishers.