MACROSCOPIC ELEMENTS OF REALITY AND THE EINSTEIN-PODOLSKY-ROSEN PARADOX

We consider a new version of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox in which the measurements have limited accuracy, so that a photon num ber is specified only to plus or minus a macroscopic number-of photons . In our example the minimum quantum uncertainty product for the two r elevant conjugate quantities is itself a macroscopic photon number. Th is new version of the EPR situation is stronger than the original micr oscopic versions, which were based on the validity, now disproved by B ell experiments, of 'local realism' at a microscopic level. The new ve rsion is based on the validity of 'macroscopic local realism', which h as to date not been questioned.