'Measurement of Quantum Mechanical Operators' Revisited

P. Busch; L. Loveridge

doi:10.1140/epjd/e2011-10714-3

'Measurement of Quantum Mechanical Operators' Revisited

P. Busch, L. Loveridge

Mathematics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The Wigner-Araki-Yanase (WAY) theorem states a remarkable limitation to quantum mechanical measurements in the presence of additive conserved quantities. Discovered by Wigner in 1952, this limitation is known to induce constraints on the control of individual quantum systems in the context of information processing. It is therefore important to understand the precise conditions and scope of the WAY theorem. Here we elucidate its crucial assumptions, briefly review some generalizations, and show how a particular extension can be obtained by a simple modification of the original proofs. We also describe the evolution of the WAY theorem from a strict no-go verdict for certain, highly idealized, precise measurements into a quantitative constraint on the accuracy and approximate repeatability of imprecise measurements.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	297-307
Number of pages	11
Journal	EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL D
Volume	62
Issue number	2
Early online date	25 Mar 2011
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2011-10714-3
Publication status	Published - Apr 2011

Keywords

Mathematical Physics

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10.1140/epjd/e2011-10714-3

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'Measurement of Quantum Mechanical Operators' Revisited

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