Quantum interference is most important for postselected weak measurement

Optimal Settings For Amplification And Estimation Of Small Effects In Postselected Ensembles

To describe the pre- and post-selected quantum ensembles, a complex quantity called the weak value of an operator is used. The weak value is highly controversial due to the fact that it is not bounded by the possible eigenvalues of the corresponding operator. Nevertheless, the obtaining of the anomalous weak value is regarded as a powerful technique in the quantum interferometry nowadays. Here it is shown that the postselection on a quantum system recovers a completely hidden interference effect in the measurement apparatus. Studying the interference pattern shows the optimal settings for the …

Amplitude-squared squeezing of Schrödinger cat states via Postselected von Neumann Measurement

We know that the original Schrödinger cat states has no amplitude-squared squeezing. In this paper, we investigate the amplitude-squared squeezing of Schrödinger cat states using postselected von Neumann measurement. The results show that after postselected von Neumann measurement, the amplitude-squared squeezing of Schrödinger cat states change dramatically and this can be considered a result of weak value amplification. The squeezing effect also investigated by studying the Wigner function of Schrödinger cat states after postselected measurement.

Effects of postselected von Neumann measurement on nonclassicality of single-photon-added coherent state

The effects of von Neumann postselected measurement on nonclassicality of single-photon-added coherent state (SPACS) are studied. Explicit expressions and analytical results for various field properties of SPACS such as the photon number distribution, the Mandel Q_{m} factor and the squeezing parameter of field quadrature after postselected von Neumann measurement are investigated. The results showed that the nonclassicality of SPACS after measurement changed dramatically than initial state. The measurement let SPACS possess more strong sub-Poissonian photon statistics in some definite couplin…

Studying the squeezing effect and phase space distribution of single-photon-added coherent state using postselected von Neumann measurement

In this paper, ordinary and amplitude-squared squeezing as well as Wigner functions of single-photon-added coherent state after postselected von Neumann measurements are investigated. The analytical results show that the von Neumann type measurement which is characterized by post-selection and weak value can significantly change the squeezing feature of single-photon-added coherent state. It is also found that the postselected measurement can increase the nonclassicality of the original state in strong measurement regimes. It is anticipated that this work could may provide an alternate and eff…

Suppressing technical noises in weak measurement by entanglement

Postselected weak measurement has aroused broad interest for its distinctive ability to amplify small physical quantities. However, the low postselection efficiency to obtain a large weak value has been a big obstacle to its application in practice, since it may waste resources, and reduce the measurement precision. An improved protocol was proposed in [Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 030401 (2014)] to make the postselected weak measurement dramatically more efficient by using entanglement. Such a protocol can increase the Fisher information of the measurement to approximately saturate the well-known He…

Effects of Postselected von Neumann Measurement on the Properties of Single-Mode Radiation Fields

Postselected von Neumann measurement characterized by postselection and weak value has been found potential applications in quantum metrology and, solved plenty of fundamental problems in quantum theory. As an application of this new measurement technique in quantum optics, its effects on the features of single-mode radiation fields such as coherent state, squeezed vacuum state and Schrodinger cat sate are investigated by considering full-order effects of unitary evolution. The results show that the conditional probabilities of finding photons, second-order correlation functions, Q-factors and…

Advantages of nonclassical pointer states in postselected weak measurements

We investigate, within the weak measurement theory, the advantages of non-classical pointer states over semi-classical ones for coherent, squeezed vacuum, and Schröinger cat states. These states are utilized as pointer state for the system operator $\hat{A}$ with property $\hat{A}^{2}=\hat{I}$, where $\hat{I}$ represents the identity operator. We calculate the ratio between the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of non-postselected and postselected weak measurements. The latter is used to find the quantum Fisher information for the above pointer states. The average shifts for those pointer states wit…

Estimation of a quantum interaction parameter using weak measurements: Theory and experiment

We investigate the estimation of a small interaction parameter from the outcomes of weak quantum measurements implemented by the interaction. The relation of weak values and sensitivity is explained and the different contributions of postselected results are identified using experimental data. The results show how weak values can be used to control the distribution of input state sensitivity between different postselected outcomes.

利用后选择 von Neumann 测量进行非高斯量子态工程

Non-Gaussian Quantum State Engineering with Postselected von Neumann Measurements

提出基于后选择 von Neumann 测量的连续变量非高斯态制备协议，利用两能级系统与不同高斯指针态的可调耦合生成猫态、纠缠态等，并以 Wigner 负性和纠缠度量验证其可扩展性。

Notes on distinguishability of postselected computations

The framework of postselection is becoming more and more important in various recent directions in Quantum Computation research. Postselection renders simple computational models able to perform general quantum computation. This was first observed for the linear optics model [E. Knill, R. Laflamme, G. J. Milburn, Nature 409, 46 (2001)], and has since provided us with many near-term candidates for the quantum advantage, commuting computations [M. J. Bremner, R. Jozsa, D. J. Shepherd, Proc. R. Soc. A 467, 459 (2011)] being the first. To facilitate the discussion of errors in the presence of post…

Weak measurements in quantum mechanics

The article recapitulates the concept of weak measurement in its broader sense encapsulating the trade between asymptotically weak measurement precision and asymptotically large measurement statistics. Essential applications in time-continuous measurement and in postselected measurement are presented both in classical and in quantum contexts. We discuss the anomalous quantum weak value in postselected measurement. We concentrate on the general mathematical and physical aspects of weak measurements and we do not expand on their interpretation. Particular applications, even most familiar ones, a…

量子优势在后选择计量学中的界限

Bounding Quantum Advantages in Postselected Metrology

本文推导了后选择计量学中量子优势的界限，建立了与弱值优化的联系，并提出了一种达到该界限的方案，证明正准概率分布也能实现异常大的精度提升。

Improving the precision of weak measurements by postselection measurement

Postselected weak measurement is a useful protocol for amplifying weak physical effects. However, there has recently been controversy over whether it gives any advantage in precision. While it is now clear that retaining failed postselections can yield more Fisher information than discarding them, the advantage of postselection measurement itself still remains to be clarified. In this Letter, we address this problem by studying two widely used estimation strategies: averaging measurement results, and maximum likelihood estimation, respectively. For the first strategy, we find a surprising resu…

Advantage of quantum coherence in postselected metrology

In conventional measurement, to reach the greatest accuracy of parameter estimation, all samples must be measured since each independent sample contains the same quantum Fisher information. In postselected metrology, postselection can concentrate the quantum Fisher information of the initial samples into a tiny post-selected sub-ensemble. It has been proven that this quantum advantage can not be realized in any classically commuting theory. In this work, we present that the advantage of postselection in weak value amplification (WVA) can not be achieved without quantum coherence. The quantum c…

Single-photon-added coherent state based measurement transition and its advantages in precision measurement

In this work, the measurement transition as well as precision measurement advantages of single-photon-added coherent state after postselected von Neumann measurement are investigated. We noticed that the weak-to-strong measurement transition characterized by the shifts of pointer's position and momentum variables occurred in continuously by controlling a dimensionless parameter associated with system-pointer coupling. We calculate the ratio between the signal-to-noise ratio of nonpostselected and postselected measurements, and the latter is used to find the quantum Fisher information. We found…

Protecting weak measurements against systematic errors

In this work, we consider the systematic error of quantum metrology by weak measurements under decoherence. We derive the systematic error of maximum likelihood estimation in general to the first-order approximation of a small deviation in the probability distribution, and study the robustness of standard weak measurement and postselected weak measurements against systematic errors. We show that, with a large weak value, the systematic error of a postselected weak measurement when the probe undergoes decoherence can be significantly lower than that of a standard weak measurement. This indicate…

Quantum sensors based on weak-value amplification cannot overcome decoherence

Sensors that harness exclusively quantum phenomena (such as entanglement) can achieve superior performance compared to those employing only classical principles. Recently, a technique based on postselected, weakly-performed measurements has emerged as a method of overcoming technical noise in the detection and estimation of small interaction parameters, particularly in optical systems. The question of which other types of noise may be combatted remains open. We here analyze whether the effect can overcome decoherence in a typical field sensing scenario. Benchmarking a weak, postselected measur…

Linear optics for direct observation of quantum violation of pigeonhole principle by joint weak measurement

When three pigeons are in two pigeonholes, at least two of them should be in the same pigeonhole, which is called pigeonhole principle. Recently Aharonov el al have shown that the principle can be violated in a pre-postselected quantum system. This violation sheds light on a new aspect of quantum correlations, as both of the pre and postselected states are separable states. To prove this kind of quantum correlations, a measurement apparatus must be arranged in entanglement to perform a joint measurement on the quantum system. In this paper we discuss how to design the state of entangled meters…

Universality of local weak interactions and its application for interferometric alignment

The modification of the effect of interactions of a particle as a function of its pre- and postselected states is analyzed theoretically and experimentally. The universality property of this modification in the case of local interactions of a spatially pre- and postselected particle has been found. It allowed to define an operational approach for characterization of the presence of a quantum particle in a particular place: the way it modifies the effect of local interactions. The experiment demonstrating this universality property provides an efficient interferometric alignment method, in whic…

Past of a quantum particle and weak measurement

We present an analysis of a double Mach-Zehnder interferometer in which an ensemble of identical pre- and postselected particles leave a weak trace. A knowledge of the weak value partially destroys the quantum interference. The results, contrary to some recent claims, are in accordance with the usual quantum mechanical expectations.

前选择和后选择系统中不确定性关系的实验研究

Experimental investigation of the uncertainty relation in pre- and postselected systems

本实验首次在前后选择系统中验证了Robertson-Heisenberg型不确定性关系，揭示了非对易Pauli可观测量间的限制，并有助于精密测量放大技术。

后选择放大应用于马赫-曾德尔干涉仪用于光学相干态的相移测量

Postselected amplification applied to Mach-Zehnder-interferometer for phase shift measurement of optical coherent states

提出一种基于后选择放大的马赫-曾德尔干涉仪方案，用于光学相干态相移测量，在AAV极限下与弱值放大一致，超出极限时性能不同，并通过正交测量提取放大相移及分析误差影响。

Anomalous values, Fisher information, and contextuality, in generalized quantum measurements

Postselection following weak measurements has long been investigated for its peculiar manifestation of quantum signatures. In particular, the postselected events can give rise to anomalous values lying outside the spectrum of the measured quantity, and may provide enhanced Fisher information. Furthermore, the Pusey inequality highlights that, for extremely weak measurements, non-contextual models can account for the outcome probabilities. It is then interesting to investigate whether these are linked in a unified framework. Here we discuss on the existence of a possible connection in the case …

后选择量子计量中的压缩信道理论

Theory of Compression Channels for Postselected Quantum Metrology

该研究提出后选择量子计量中压缩信道的通用理论，明确相关概念与无损信道结构，证明双分系统下单子系统压缩的损耗可任意小，可助力降低量子测量的噪声与成本。

Weak Measurements and Counterfactual Computation

Vaidman, in a recent article adopts the method of 'quantum weak measurements in pre- and postselected ensembles' to ascertain whether or not the chained-Zeno counterfactual computation scheme proposed by Hosten et al. is counterfactual; which has been the topic of a debate on the definition of counterfactuality. We disagree with his conclusion, which brings up some interesting aspects of quantum weak measurements and some concerns about the way they are interpreted.

Perfect state distinguishability and computational speedups with postselected closed timelike curves

Bennett and Schumacher's postselected quantum teleportation is a model of closed timelike curves (CTCs) that leads to results physically different from Deutsch's model. We show that even a single qubit passing through a postselected CTC (P-CTC) is sufficient to do any postselected quantum measurement, and we discuss an important difference between "Deutschian" CTCs (D-CTCs) and P-CTCs in which the future existence of a P-CTC might affect the present outcome of an experiment. Then, based on a suggestion of Bennett and Smith, we explicitly show how a party assisted by P-CTCs can distinguish a se…

Observation of the quantum paradox of separation of a single photon from one of its properties

We report an experimental realization of the quantum paradox of the separation of a single photon from one of its properties (the so-called "quantum Cheshire cat"). We use a modified Sagnac interferometer with displaced paths to produce appropriately pre- and postselected states of heralded single photons. Weak measurements of photon presence and circular polarization are performed in each arm of the interferometer by introducing weak absorbers and small polarization rotations and analyzing changes in the postselected signal. The absorber is found to have an appreciable effect only in one arm …

Post-selected weak measurement beyond the weak value

Closed expressions are derived for the quantum measurement statistics of pre-and postselected gaussian particle beams. The weakness of the pre-selection step is shown to compete with the non-orthogonality of post-selection in a transparent way. The approach is shown to be useful in analyzing post-selection-based signal amplification, allowing measurements to be extended far beyond the range of validity of the well-known Aharonov-Albert-Vaidman limit.

Measure the temperature of the spin via weak measurement

In this study, we give a new proposal to measure the temperature of the spin in a sample in magnetic resonance force microscopy system by using postselected weak measurement, and investigate the fisher information to estimate the precision of our scheme. We showed that in high temperature regime the temperature of the spin can be measured via weak measurement technique with proper postselection and our scheme able to increase the precision of temperature estimation.

Test of weak measurement on a two- or three-qubit computer

Current quantum computer technology is sufficient to realize weak measurements and the corresponding concept of weak values. We demonstrate how the weak value anomaly can be tested, along with consistency and simultaneity of weak values, using only discrete degrees of freedom. All you need is a quantum computer with two--or better, three--qubits. We also give an interpretation of the weak value as an effective field strength in a postselected spin measurement.

利用弱值放大制备和增强非高斯态

Non-Gaussian state preparation and enhancement using weak-value amplification

通过弱值放大技术实现非高斯态的制备与增强，支持可调制非高斯态的条件生成。

A Note Concerning von Neumann Projector Measurement Pointer States, Weak Values, and Interference

It is well known that the pointer state |Φ> resulting from the von Neumann measurement of a projection operator A performed upon an ensemble of quantum systems in the preselected state |ψ> depends upon A|ψ>. Here it is shown that the pointer state |Ψ> obtained from such a measurement performed upon an ensemble that is also postselected depends upon the weak value of A - regardless of the measurement interaction strength. It is also found that, while the spatial distribution of |Ψ> exhibits interference, the idempotency of A prohibits interference in that of |Φ>. This is explained in terms of w…

Extracting joint weak values with local, single-particle measurements

Weak measurement is a new technique which allows one to describe the evolution of postselected quantum systems. It appears to be useful for resolving a variety of thorny quantum paradoxes, particularly when used to study properties of pairs of particles. Unfortunately, such nonlocal or joint observables often prove difficult to measure weakly in practice (for instance, in optics -- a common testing ground for this technique -- strong photon-photon interactions would be needed). Here we derive a general, experimentally feasible, method for extracting these values from correlations between singl…

Modified weak measurements for detecting photonic spin Hall effect

Weak measurement is an important technique for detecting the tiny spin-dependent splitting in photonic spin Hall effect. The weak measurement is only valid when the probe wavefunction remains almost undisturbed during the procedure of measurements. However, it does not always satisfy such condition in some practical situations, such as in the strong-coupling regime or the preselected and postselected states are nearly orthogonal. In this paper, we develop a modified weak measurement for detecting photonic spin Hall effect when the probe wavefunction is distorted. We find that the measuring pro…

Statistics of nondemolition weak measurement

A measurement consists in coupling a system to a probe and reading the output of the probe to gather information about the system. The weaker the coupling, the smaller the back-action on the system, but also the less information conveyed. If the system undergoes a second measurement, the statistics of the first output can be conditioned on the value of the second one. This procedure is known as postselection. A postselected weak measurement of an observable can give a large average output of the probe when the postselected state is nearly orthogonal to the initial state of the system. This lar…

Application of the weak-measurement technique to study atom-vacuum interactions

Quantum weak measurement has attracted much interest recently [J. Dressel et al., Rev. Mod. Phys. 86, 307 (2014)] because it could amplify some weak signals and provide a technique to observe nonclassical phenomena. Here, we apply this technique to study the interaction between the free atoms and the vacuum in a cavity. Due to the gradient field in the vacuum cavity, the external orbital motions and the internal electronic states of atoms can be weakly coupled via the atom-field electric-dipole interaction. We show that, within the properly postselected internal states, the weak atom-vacuum in…

Weak Measurement of Superconducting Qubit Reconciles Incompatible Operators

Traditional uncertainty relations dictate a minimal amount of noise in incompatible projective quantum measurements. However, not all measurements are projective. Weak measurements are minimally invasive methods for obtaining partial state information without projection. Recently, weak measurements were shown to obey an uncertainty relation cast in terms of entropies. We experimentally test this entropic uncertainty relation with strong and weak measurements of a superconducting transmon qubit. A weak measurement, we find, can reconcile two strong measurements' incompatibility, via backaction …

Tracing the past of a quantum particle

The question: "Where was a quantum particle between pre- and postselection measurements?" is analyzed in view of a recent proposal that it was in the overlap of the forward and backward evolving wave functions. It is argued that this proposal corresponds not only to the criterion of where the particle leaves a weak trace, but also where the local interactions can affect the probability of postselection and where finding the particle in a strong nondemolition measurement is possible. The concept of a "secondary presence" of a pre- and postselected particle where local interactions affect the we…

Quantum state engineering using weak measurement

State preparation via postselected weak measurement in three wave mixing process is studied. Assuming the signal input mode prepared in a vacuum state, coherent state or squeezed vacuum state, separately, while the idler input prepared in weak coherent state and passing the medium characterized by the second-order nonlinear susceptibility. It is shown that when the single photon is detected at one of the output channels of idler beam's path, the signal output channel is prepared in single-photon Fock state, single-photon-added coherent state or single-photon-added squeezed vacuum state with ve…

对基于弱值的量子悖论与量子测量现实解释的关联的评论

Comment on "Association between quantum paradoxes based on weak values and a realistic interpretation of quantum measurements"

本文指出Aredes和Saldanha对弱值悖论的分析存在形式错误，通过Bohmian力学证明其结论不适用于所有弱值和量子理论，强调弱值后选择位置可被解释为量子系统属性。

Weak Values, Quantum Trajectories, and the Stony-Brook Cavity QED experiment

Weak values as introduced by Aharonov, Albert and Vaidman (AAV) are ensemble average values for the results of weak measurements. They are interesting when the ensemble is preselected on a particular initial state and postselected on a particular final measurement result. I show that weak values arise naturally in quantum optics, as weak measurements occur whenever an open system is monitored (as by a photodetector). I use quantum trajectory theory to derive a generalization of AAV's formula to include (a) mixed initial conditions, (b) nonunitary evolution, (c) a generalized (non-projective) f…

Implementation of weak measurement amplification with the weak coherent light and optomechanical system

Most studies for postselected weak measurement in optomechanical system focus on using a single photon as a measured system. However, we find that using weak coherent light instead of a single photon can also amplify the mirror's position displacement of one photon. In the WVA regime (Weak Value Amplification regime), the weak value of one photon can lie outside the eigenvalue spectrum, proportional to the difference of the mirror's position displacement between the successful and failed postselection and its successful postselection probability is dependent of the mean photon number of the co…

Experimental demonstration of quantum pigeonhole paradox

We experimentally demonstrate that when three single photons transmit through two polarization channels, in a well-defined pre- and postselected ensemble, there are no two photons in the same polarization channel by weak-strength measurement, a counter-intuitive quantum counting effect called quantum pigeonhole paradox. We further show that this effect breaks down in second-order measurement. These results indicate the existence of quantum pigeonhole paradox and its operating regime.

如果量子测量实际上是秘密的连续非幺正过程，弱测量可以检测它

If Quantum Measurements Are Secretly Continuous Nonunitary Processes, Weak Measurements Can Detect It

本文探讨了量子测量的非幺正演化，通过弱后选择测量区分连续非幺正过程与瞬时塌缩，提出实验协议分析氢原子案例。

Geometric description of modular and weak values in discrete quantum systems using the Majorana representation

We express modular and weak values of observables of three- and higher-level quantum systems in their polar form. The Majorana representation of N-level systems in terms of symmetric states of N-1 qubits provides us with a description on the Bloch sphere. With this geometric approach, we find that modular and weak values of observables of N-level quantum systems can be factored in N-1 contributions. Their modulus is determined by the product of N-1 ratios involving projection probabilities between qubits, while their argument is deduced from a sum of N-1 solid angles on the Bloch sphere. These…

Modular-value-based metrology with spin coherent pointers

Modular values are quantities that described by pre- and postselected states of quantum systems like weak values but are different from them: The associated interaction is not necessary to be weak. We discuss an optimal modular-value-based measurement with a spin coherent pointer: A quantum system is exposed to a field in which strength is to be estimated through its modular value. We consider two cases, with a two-dimensional and a higher-dimensional pointer, and evaluate the quantum Fisher information. The modular-value-based measurement has no merit in the former case, while its sensitivity…

Weak measurement amplification based on thermal noise effect

Most studies for postselected weak measurement focus on using pure Gaussian state as a pointer, which can only give an amplification limit reaching the level of the ground state fluctuation. When the pointer is initialised in a thermal state, we find that the amplification limit after the postselection can reach the level of thermal fluctuation, indicating that the amplification effect achieving the level of thermal fluctuation is also increased with the temperature grow, and also give the amplification mechanism different from the one with pure Gaussian state pointer. To illustrate these resu…

When amplification with weak values fails to suppress technical noise

The application of postselection to a weak quantum measurement leads to the phenomenon of weak values. Expressed in units of the measurement strength, the displacement of a quantum coherent measuring device is ordinarily bounded by the eigenspectrum of the measured observable. Postselection can enable an interference effect that moves the average displacement far outside this range, bringing practical benefits in certain situations. Employing the Fisher information metric, we argue that the amplified displacement offers no fundamental metrological advantage, due to the necessarily reduced prob…

Entanglement-assisted weak value amplification

Large weak values have been used to amplify the sensitivity of a linear response signal for detecting changes in a small parameter, which has also enabled a simple method for precise parameter estimation. However, producing a large weak value requires a low postselection probability for an ancilla degree of freedom, which limits the utility of the technique. We propose an improvement to this method that uses entanglement to increase the efficiency. We show that by entangling and postselecting $n$ ancillas, the postselection probability can be increased by a factor of $n$ while keeping the weak…

Precision metrology of weak measurement with thermal state pointer

Quantum metrology is being gradually studied for weak measurement systems. For weak measurement systems with thermal state pointer, we find that in the displacement space corresponding to imaginary weak values, the maximal QFI after successful postselection can attain the level of thermal fluctuations, without surpassing total QFI, and that QFI which increases with increasing temperature can constantly improve the measurement precision. These results are much better than that of weak measurement with pure state (i.e., Gaussian state) pointer. On the other hand, in Kerr nonlinear interaction sy…

Decoherence effects on weak value measurements in double quantum dots

We study the effect of decoherence on a weak value measurement in a paradigm system consisting of a double quantum dot continuously measured by a quantum point contact. Fluctuations of the parameters controlling the dot state induce decoherence. We find that, for measurements longer than the decoherence time, weak values are always reduced within the range of the eigenvalues of the measured observable. For measurements at shorter time scales, the measured weak value strongly depends on the interplay between the decoherence dynamics of the system and the detector backaction. In particular, depe…

量子后选择计量学中的 Fisher 信息转移

Transfer of Fisher Information in Quantum Postselection Metrology

针对后选择弱测量仅能利用后选择分布的局限，本文提出利用 Fisher 信息转移使输出光子达到量子尺度，并引入功率回收腔改善后选择分布。

High-visibility nonclassical interference between pure heralded single photons and weak coherent photons

We present an experiment of nonclassical interference between a pure heralded single-photon state and a weak coherent state. Our experiment is the first to demonstrate that spectrally pure single photons can have high interference visibility, 89.4 \pm 0.5%, with weak coherent photons. Our scheme lays the groundwork for future experiments requiring quantum interference between photons in nonclassical states and those in coherent states.

基于双弱值放大系统的光束偏转完整表征

Complete characterization of beam deflection based on double weak value amplification system

本文提出基于双弱值放大系统的光束偏转二维测量方法，实现了偏航和俯仰角的高精度同时测量，拓展了光束偏转测量的应用范围。