Demystifying weak measurements

DOI10.1007/S10701-017-0085-4zbMATH Open1370.81011arXiv1702.04021OpenAlexW2595428157MaRDI QIDQ2014307FDOQ2014307

Ruth E. Kastner

Publication date: 11 August 2017

Published in: Foundations of Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: A large literature has grown up around the proposed use of 'weak measurements' (i.e., unsharp measurements followed by post-selection) to allegedly provide information about hidden ontological features of quantum systems. This paper attempts to clarify the fact that 'weak measurements' involve strong (projective) measurements on one (pointer) member of an entangled system. The only thing 'weak' about such measurements is that the correlation established via the entanglement does not correspond to eigenstates of the 'weakly measured observable' for the remaining component system(s) subject to the weak measurement. All observed statistics are straightforwardly and easily predicted by standard quantum mechanics. Specifically, it is noted that measurement of the pointer steers the remaining degree(s) of freedom into new states with new statistical properties-constituting a non-trivial (even if generally small) disturbance. In addition, standard quantum mechanics readily allows us to conditionalize on a final state if we choose, so the 'post-selection' that features prominently in time-symmetric formulations is also equipment from standard quantum theory. Assertions in the literature that weak measurements leave a system negligibly disturbed, and/or that standard quantum theory is cumbersome for computing the predicted measurement results, are therefore unsupportable, and ontological claims based on such assertions need to be critically reassessed.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1702.04021

zbMATH Keywords

weak valuesweak measurementspost-selection

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Physics (00A79) Quantum measurement theory, state operations, state preparations (81P15) Quantum coherence, entanglement, quantum correlations (81P40)

Cites Work

• Revisiting Hardy's paradox: Counterfactual statements, real measurements, entanglement and weak values
• Operational Quantum Physics
• Title not available (Why is that?)

Cited In (7)

• Interaction-free effects between distant atoms
• An even simpler understanding of quantum weak values
• Weak values and quantum properties
• What weak measurements and weak values really mean: reply to Kastner
• Merit of amplification by weak measurement in view of measurement uncertainty
• Anomalous weak values are caused by disturbance
• On the quantum mechanical measurement process

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