External quantum fluctuations select measurement contexts

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hance, Jonte R., Ji, Ming, Matsushita, Tomonori, Hofmann, Holger F.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866916012185616384
author Hance, Jonte R.
Ji, Ming
Matsushita, Tomonori
Hofmann, Holger F.
author_facet Hance, Jonte R.
Ji, Ming
Matsushita, Tomonori
Hofmann, Holger F.
contents Quantum paradoxes show that the outcomes of different quantum measurements cannot be described by a single measurement-independent reality. Any theoretical description of a quantum measurement implies the selection of a specific measurement context. Here, we investigate generalised quantum measurements, in order to identify the mechanism by which this specific context is selected. We show that external quantum fluctuations, represented by the initial state of the measurement apparatus, play an essential role in the selection of the context. This has the non-trivial consequence that, when considering measurements other than just idealised projection-valued measures, different outcomes of a single measurement setup can represent different measurement contexts. We further show this result underpins recent claims that contextuality can occur in scenarios without measurement incompatibility.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_04664
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle External quantum fluctuations select measurement contexts
Hance, Jonte R.
Ji, Ming
Matsushita, Tomonori
Hofmann, Holger F.
Quantum Physics
History and Philosophy of Physics
Quantum paradoxes show that the outcomes of different quantum measurements cannot be described by a single measurement-independent reality. Any theoretical description of a quantum measurement implies the selection of a specific measurement context. Here, we investigate generalised quantum measurements, in order to identify the mechanism by which this specific context is selected. We show that external quantum fluctuations, represented by the initial state of the measurement apparatus, play an essential role in the selection of the context. This has the non-trivial consequence that, when considering measurements other than just idealised projection-valued measures, different outcomes of a single measurement setup can represent different measurement contexts. We further show this result underpins recent claims that contextuality can occur in scenarios without measurement incompatibility.
title External quantum fluctuations select measurement contexts
topic Quantum Physics
History and Philosophy of Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.04664