2015/02/14 by D. Sokolovski · 3 citations
Computer Science · Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Amplitude #Eigenvalues and eigenvectors #Epistemology #Expected value #Mathematics #Meaning (existential) #Philosophy #Physics #Probability amplitude #Quantum #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum dynamics #Quantum mechanics #Quantum operation #Range (aeronautics) #Statistical Mechanics and Entropy #Statistical physics #Statistics #Value (mathematics) #Weak measurement #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.physleta.2015.02.018
published as Physics Letters A. 379, 1097-1101 (2015)
openalex publication_date 2015/02/14 · arxiv created 2015/09/16 · arxiv updated 2015/09/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The readings of a highly inaccurate "weak" quantum meter, employed to determine the value of a dichotomous variable S without destroying the interference between the alternatives,may take arbitrary values. We show that the expected values of its readings may take any real value, depending on the the choice of the states in which the system is pre- and post-selected. Some of these values must fall outside the range of eigenvalues of A, in which case they may be expressed as "anomalous" averages obtained with negative probability weights, constructed from available probability amplitudes. This behaviour is a natural consequence of the Uncertainty Principle. The phenomenon of "anomalous weak values" has no non-trivial analogue in classical statistics.