Entanglement and decoherence in high energy physics

Full text: The phenomenon of entanglement occurs in very heavy quantum systems of particle physics. We find analogies but also differences to the entangled spin-1/2 or photon systems. In particular we discuss the features of entangled 'strangeness', the K-meson system, where a Bell inequality exists which has a remarkable connection to CP (charge conjugation and parity) and its violation. Stability of entangled quantum states is studied by allowing the system to interact with an environment. We consider possible decoherence of entangled 'beauty', the B-meson system, produced at the particle colliders at very high energies (10 GeV). Finally, we discuss a criterion for detecting entangled/separable states, a generalized Bell inequality and entanglement witness. We illustrate its geometric features by the two-spin example Alice and Bob. (author)