Bell - Kochen - Specker theorem for any finite dimension

Abstract

The Bell - Kochen - Specker theorem against non-contextual hidden variables can be proved by constructing a finite set of `totally non-colourable' directions, as Kochen and Specker did in a Hilbert space of dimension n = 3. We generalize Kochen and Specker's set to Hilbert spaces of any finite dimension , in a three-step process that shows the relationship between different kinds of proofs (`continuum', `probabilistic', `state-specific' and `state-independent') of the Bell - Kochen - Specker theorem. At the same time, this construction of a totally non-colourable set of directions in any dimension explicitly solves the question raised by Zimba and Penrose about the existence of such a set for n = 5.