States violating both locality and noncontextuality inequalities in quantum theory

Abstract The Clauser–Horne–Shimony-Holt (CHSH) inequality tests locality in quantum theory and is recognized as one of Bell’s inequalities. In contrast, the Klyachko–Can–Binicioğlu–Shumovsky (KCBS) inequality tests noncontextuality, which refers to the idea that measurement outcomes are determined by intrinsic properties independent of other measurements that could be performed simultaneously. While individual quantum states can violate these inequalities separately, it was believed that no single state could violate both simultaneously. This relationship suggests a trade-off between nonlocality and contextuality: if one is violated, the other cannot be. Such a relationship is known as a monogamy relation. Xue et al demonstrated, however, that simultaneous violations of both the CHSH and KCBS inequalities are possible with specific choices of observables. This finding challenges the universal validity of the monogamy relation. They further showed that numerous scenarios exist in which both the CHSH inequality and a noncontextuality inequality involving more than five observables are violated. Nevertheless, the number of such scenarios is finite. In this paper, we extend these findings in two significant ways. First, we show that infinitely many scenarios exist where both the CHSH inequality and a noncontextuality inequality involving an odd number of observables are violated. This demonstrates that the monogamy relation between the CHSH inequality and the noncontextuality inequality fails in infinitely many cases. Second, we identify quantum states that violate both the KCBS inequality and a locality inequality distinct from the CHSH inequality. Our results highlight that the so-called ‘monogamy relation’ between nonlocality and contextuality is not universally valid. Instead, it appears that both phenomena can coexist under broader conditions than initially expected, thus challenging the conventional viewpoint and paving the way for new theoretical and experimental research.