Spin quantum correlations of relativistic particles

Abstract

We show that a pair of massive relativistic spin-1/2 particles prepared in a maximally entangled spin state in general is not capable of maximally violating the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) version of Bell's inequalities without a postselection of the particles' momenta, representing a major difference in relation to nonrelativistic systems. This occurs because the quantization axis of the measurements performed on each particle depends on the particle velocity, such that it is not possible to define a reduced density matrix for the particles' spin. We also show that the amount of violation of the CHSH inequality depends on the reference frame and that in some frames the inequality may not be violated. © 2012 American Physical Society.