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Lars M. Johansen

Publications and source records attributed to Lars M. Johansen.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2021

Quantum theory is logically inevitable

General relativity required the abandonment of Euclidean geometry. Here we show that quantum theory requires the abandonment of classical logic. We show that the Hilbert space representation of quantum theory is logically inevitable. There are no fundamental principles of quantum theory. We find an inevitable generalization of classical logic. The conjunction can take negative values, and reduces to the classical conjunction for order invariant measurements. The expectation of the conjunction is a generalized joint probability that can take negative values. A commutative conjunction leads to the Hilbert space formalism of quantum theory. Quantum theory applies both to microscopic and macroscopic systems. Classicality is represented by non-negativity of the generalized joint probability. We illustrate this by applying the logic to explain puzzling results in quantum cognition.

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arXiv2014

Non-ideal classical measurements and quantum measurements: a comparative study

Measurements on classical systems are usually idealized and assumed to have infinite precision. In practice, however, any measurement has a finite resolution. We investigate the theory of non-ideal measurements in classical mechanics using a measurement probe with finite resolution. We use the von Neumann interaction model to represent the interaction between system and probe. We find that in reality classical systems are affected by measurement in a similar manner as quantum systems. In particular, we derive classical equivalents of Lüders' rule, the "collapse postulate", and the Lindblad equation.

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arXiv2009

Order Symmetry of Weak Measurements

Weak values are usually associated with weak measurements of an observable on a pre- and post-selected ensemble. We show that more generally, weak values are proportional to the correlation between two pointers in a successive measurement. We show that this generalized concept of weak measurements displays a symmetry under reversal of measurement order. We show that the conditions for order symmetry are the same as in classical mechanics. We also find that the imaginary part of the weak value has a counterpart in classical mechanics. This scheme suggests new experimental possibilities.

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arXiv2009

Quantum Mechanics of Successive Measurements with Arbitrary Meter Coupling

We study successive measurements of two observables using von Neumann's measurement model. The two-pointer correlation for arbitrary coupling strength allows retrieving the initial system state. We recover Luders rule, the Wigner formula and the Kirkwood-Dirac distribution in the appropriate limits of the coupling strength.

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arXiv2008

A unique quasi-probability for projective yes-no measurements

From an analysis of projective measurements, it is shown that the Wigner rule is the unique operational quasi-probability for the post-measurement state. A unique pre-measurement quasi-probability is derived from a principle of invariance of measurement disturbance under orthogonal projector complementation. Physical arguments for this principle are given. The informationally complete complex extension of the quasi-probability is also derived. Nonclassicality of this quasi-probability is due to measurement disturbance. The same quasi-probability follows from weak measurements.

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arXiv2007

Quantum theory of successive projective measurements

We show that a quantum state may be represented as the sum of a joint probability and a complex quantum modification term. The joint probability and the modification term can both be observed in successive projective measurements. The complex modification term is a measure of measurement disturbance. A selective phase rotation is needed to obtain the imaginary part. This leads to a complex quasiprobability, the Kirkwood distribution. We show that the Kirkwood distribution contains full information about the state if the two observables are maximal and complementary. The Kirkwood distribution gives a new picture of state reduction. In a nonselective measurement, the modification term vanishes. A selective measurement leads to a quantum state as a nonnegative conditional probability. We demonstrate the special significance of the Schwinger basis.

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arXiv2007

Reconstructing weak values without weak measurements

I propose a scheme for reconstructing the weak value of an observable without the need for weak measurements. The post-selection in weak measurements is replaced by an initial projector measurement. The observable can be measured using any form of interaction, including projective measurements. The reconstruction is effected by measuring the change in the expectation value of the observable due to the projector measurement. The weak value may take nonclassical values if the projector measurement disturbs the expectation value of the observable.

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arXiv2004

Nonclassicality in Weak Measurements

We examine weak measurements of arbitrary observables where the object is prepared in a mixed state and on which measurements with imperfect detectors are made. The weak value of an observable can be expressed as a conditional expectation value over an infinite class of different generalized Kirkwood quasi-probability distributions. "Strange" weak values for which the real part exceeds the eigenvalue spectrum of the observable can only be found if the Terletsky-Margenau-Hill distribution is negative, or, equivalently, if the real part of the weak value of the density operator is negative. We find that a classical model of a weak measurement exists whenever the Terletsky-Margenau-Hill representation of the observable equals the classical representation of the observable and the Terletsky-Margenau-Hill distribution is nonnegative. Strange weak values alone are not sufficient to obtain a contradiction with classical models. We propose feasible weak measurements of photon number of the radiation field. Negative weak values of energy contradicts all classical stochastic models, whereas negative weak values of photon number contradict all classical stochastic models where the energy is bounded from below by the zero-point energy. We examine coherent states in particular, and find negative weak values with probabilities of 16% for kinetic energy (or squared field quadrature), 8% for harmonic oscillator energy and 50% for photon number. These experiments are robust against detector inefficiency and thermal noise.

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arXiv2004

Nonclassicality of Thermal Radiation

It is demonstrated that thermal radiation of small occupation number is strongly nonclassical. This includes most forms of naturally occurring radiation. Nonclassicality can be observed as a negative weak value of a positive observable. It is related to negative values of the Margenau-Hill quasi-probability distribution.

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arXiv2004

What is the value of an observable between pre- and postselection?

Hall's recent derivation of an exact uncertainty relation [Phys. Rev. A64, 052103 (2001)] is revisited. It is found that the Bayes estimator of an observable between pre- and postselection equals the real part of the weak value. The quadratic loss function equals the expectation of the squared imaginary part of the weak value.

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arXiv2004

Nonclassical Properties of Coherent States

It is demonstrated that a weak measurement of the squared quadrature observable may yield negative values for coherent states. This result cannot be reproduced by a classical theory where quadratures are stochastic $c$-numbers. The real part of the weak value is a conditional moment of the Margenau-Hill distribution. The nonclassicality of coherent states can be associated with negative values of the Margenau-Hill distribution. A more general type of weak measurement is considered, where the pointer can be in an arbitrary state, pure or mixed.

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arXiv2004

Weak Measurements with Arbitrary Pointer States

The exact conditions on valid pointer states for weak measurements are derived. It is demonstrated that weak measurements can be performed with any pointer state with vanishing probability current density. This condition is found both for weak measurements of noncommuting observables and for $c$-number observables. In addition, the interaction between pointer and object must be sufficiently weak. There is no restriction on the purity of the pointer state. For example, a thermal pointer state is fully valid.

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arXiv1998

Hydrodynamical quantum state reconstruction

The density matrix of a nonrelativistic wave-packet in an arbitrary, one-dimensional and time-dependent potential can be reconstructed by measuring hydrodynamical moments of the Wigner distribution. An n-th order Taylor polynomial in the off-diagonal variable is obtained by measuring the probability distribution at n+1 discrete time values.

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arXiv1998

Nonclassical evolution of a free particle

A conditional kinetic energy is defined in terms of the Wigner distribution. It is shown that this kinetic energy may become negative for negative Wigner distributions. A free particle wave packet with negative kinetic energy will spread in a nonclassical manner.

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arXiv1997

EPR correlations and EPW distributions revisited

It is shown that Bell's proof of violation of local realism in phase space is incorrect. Using Bell's approach, a violation can be derived also for nonnegative Wigner distributions. The error is found to lie in the use of an unnormalizable Wigner function.

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arXiv1996

Bell's inequality for the Mach-Zehnder interferometer

We show that no local, hidden variable model can be given for two-channel states exhibiting both a sufficiently high interference visibility and a sufficient degree of anticorrelation in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer.

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