Logical Pre- and Post-Selection Paradoxes, Measurement-Disturbance and Contextuality

Authors

Matthew S. Leifer, Chapman UniversityFollow
R. W. Spekkens, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

2004

Abstract

Many seemingly paradoxical effects are known in the predictions for outcomes of measurements made on pre- and post-selected quantum systems. A class of such effects, which we call “logical pre- and post-selection paradoxes”, bear a striking resemblance to proofs of the Bell-Kochen-Specker theorem, which suggests that they demonstrate the contextuality of quantum mechanics. Despite the apparent similarity, we show that such effects can occur in noncontextual hidden variable theories, provided measurements are allowed to disturb the values of the hidden variables.

Comments

This is an author-prepared, prepublication version of a paper that was presented at Quantum Structures in 2004 and was later published in the International Journal of Theoretical Physics, volume 44, pp. 1977-1987 . DOI: 10.1007/s10773-005-8975-1

Recommended Citation

Leifer, M.S. & Spekkens, R.W. Int J Theor Phys (2005) 44: 1977. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10773-005-8975-1

Copyright

Springer