1303.6031 (Abraham G. Kofman et al.)

Connection-state approach to pre- and post-selected measurements    [PDF]

Abraham G. Kofman, Sahin K. Ozdemir, Franco Nori

We introduce the concept of connection states, i.e., operators that describe posterior ensembles, post-selected according to different outcomes of a quantum measurement. Connection states allow one to retrodict results of any weak pre- and the post-selected measurements, in the same manner as density matrices allow one to predict the results of conventional quantum measurements. Connection-state operators are generally non-Hermitian, i.e., they differ drastically from the density matrices. This is shown to be a direct consequence of the non-classical nature of quantum mechanics. The non-Hermitianity of connection-state operators explains the unusual character of weak values. We show that connection-state operators can be determined experimentally.

View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1303.6031