Aspect switching experiment 2026-10-18
In 1982, Alain Aspect, Jean Dalibard and Gérard Roger used a calcium cascade and an acoustic standing wave in water to route each photon toward one of two fixed polarizers. Switching took about , against for light to cross between stations. Photomultiplier coincidence circuit rates, with delayed-background subtraction and polarizer-removal normalization, violated their Bell inequality. Supplementary polarizers checked each channel against Malus's law. The timing attacked the locality loophole, but the authors emphasized that switching was quasiperiodic, not random; incomplete switching and inefficient collection also limited the test. Its normalized statistic differs from the CHSH inequality convention used below.[ref]
Experimental Test of Bell's Inequalities Using Time-Varying Analyzers by Alain Aspect and others. pp. 1805-1807, Figs. 2-4; final discussion
Nobel Prize in Physics in 2022 2026-10-18
Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger shared the award equally for experiments with entangled photons, violations of Bell inequalities and pioneering quantum information science.[ref]
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2022/summary/. Individual laureate entries, one-third shares and joint motivation