New article: A genetic algorithm confirms the rejection of classical notions of causality read more at here http://www.spinonews.com/index.php/science/item/3374-a-genetic-algorithm-confirms-the-rejection-of-classical-notions-of-causality

Researchers develop a genetic algorithm to confirm the rejection of classical notions of causality.

 Dr. Alberto Peruzzo from RMIT University in Melbourne, said, Bell's theorem excludes classical concepts of causality and is now a cornerstone of modern physics. But, despite the fundamental importance of this theorem, only recently was the first 'loophole-free' experiment reported which convincingly verified that we must reject classical notions of causality.

The team's approach was to use genetic programming, a powerful machine learning technique, to automatically find the closest classical models for the data.

Dr. Chris Ferrie, from the University of Technology Sydney, said, "We've light-heartedly called the region mapped out by the algorithm the 'edge of reality,' referring to the common terminology 'local realism' for a model of physics satisfying Einstein's relativity.

[Using a mathematical model, a UBC instructor to investigate possibility of time travel]

The algorithm works by building causal models through simulated evolution imitating natural selection genetic programming.

The team used photons, single particles of light, to generate the quantum correlations that cannot be explained using classical mechanics. Quantum photonics has enabled a wide range of new technologies from quantum computation to quantum key distribution.

 

The data collected was then used by the genetic algorithm to find a model that best matches the observed correlations. These models then quantify the region of models which are ruled out by nature itself.

More information: [Physical review A]