Bell Nonlocality in Quantum Networks with Unreliable Sources: Loophole-Free Postelection via Self-Testing
Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 160802 – Published 14 October, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/bqwm-ll5y
Abstract
We discuss Bell nonlocality in quantum networks with unreliable sources. Our main result is a condition on the observed data that ensures that inconclusive events can be safely discarded, without introducing any loophole. More formally, we characterize the fair-sampling property for measurements in a network. When all measurements are fair-sampling, we show that the postselection of conclusive outcomes does not compromise the assumption of source independence, hence avoiding the detection loophole. Furthermore, we show that in some cases, the fair-sampling property can in fact be certified directly from observed data. To show this, we prove that saturation of the Finner inequality provides a self-test of the underlying quantum model. We illustrate the relevance of our results by demonstrating an improvement in device-independent randomness generation for a photonic Bell test with a probabilistic source and for the triangle network.
