The many mathematical faces of Mermin's proof of the Kochen-Specker theorem

2015/11/03 by Leon Loveridge, Loveridge, Leon, Raouf Dridi +1
Chemistry · Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Computability, Logic, AI Algorithms #FOS: Physical sciences #History and advancements in chemistry #Mathematical Physics (math-ph) #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum Physics (quant-ph)

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1511.00950

openalex publication_date 2015/11/03 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

Mermin's simple "pentagram" proof of the Kochen-Specker theorem is examined from various perspectives. We emphasise the many mathematical structures intimately related to Kochen-Specker proofs, ranging through functional analysis, sheaf theory and topos theory, Coxeter groups and algebraic geometry. Some novel results are presented along the way.

Citations

• (Non-)Contextuality of Physical Theories as an Axiom
• Quantum states and generalized observables: a simple proof of Gleason's theorem
• On the Problem of Hidden Variables in Quantum Mechanics
• A simple test for hidden variables in spin-1 system
• On the Einstein Podolsky Rosen paradox

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