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What Is a Quantum-Mechanical "Weak Value" the Value of?

Svensson, Bengt E Y LU (2013) In Foundations of Physics 43(10). p.1193-1205
Abstract
A so called "weak value" of an observable in quantum mechanics (QM) may be obtained in a weak measurement + post-selection procedure on the QM system under study. Applied to number operators, it has been invoked in revisiting some QM paradoxes (e.g., the so called Three-Box Paradox and Hardy's Paradox). This requires the weak value to be interpreted as a bona fide property of the system considered, a par with entities like operator mean values and eigenvalues. I question such an interpretation; it has no support in the basic axioms of quantum mechanics and it leads to unreasonable results in concrete situations.
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Weak value, Number operator, Hardy's paradox, Interpretation of QM
in
Foundations of Physics
volume
43
issue
10
pages
1193 - 1205
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • wos:000325622000003
  • scopus:84885451076
ISSN
0015-9018
DOI
10.1007/s10701-013-9740-6
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
93fa8e0d-1fe5-4ec3-b339-03f127904132 (old id 4163440)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:43:19
date last changed
2024-01-09 17:32:12
@article{93fa8e0d-1fe5-4ec3-b339-03f127904132,
  abstract     = {{A so called "weak value" of an observable in quantum mechanics (QM) may be obtained in a weak measurement + post-selection procedure on the QM system under study. Applied to number operators, it has been invoked in revisiting some QM paradoxes (e.g., the so called Three-Box Paradox and Hardy's Paradox). This requires the weak value to be interpreted as a bona fide property of the system considered, a par with entities like operator mean values and eigenvalues. I question such an interpretation; it has no support in the basic axioms of quantum mechanics and it leads to unreasonable results in concrete situations.}},
  author       = {{Svensson, Bengt E Y}},
  issn         = {{0015-9018}},
  keywords     = {{Weak value; Number operator; Hardy's paradox; Interpretation of QM}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{10}},
  pages        = {{1193--1205}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Foundations of Physics}},
  title        = {{What Is a Quantum-Mechanical "Weak Value" the Value of?}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10701-013-9740-6}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s10701-013-9740-6}},
  volume       = {{43}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}