On the resolution of quantum paradoxes by weak measurements

Abstract

In this presentation, I argue that weak measurements empirically support the notion of quantum superpositions as statistical alternatives. In short, weak measurements show that Schroedinger's cat is already dead or alive before the measurement. The collapse of the wavefunction in a strong measurement should therefore be separated into the statistical selection of one of the available alternatives and a physical interaction that causes decoherence. The application to entanglement reveals that measurements in A have no physical effect in B, resolving the paradox of Bell`s inequality violation in favor of locality and against (non-empirical) realism.

5 pages, contribution to the proceedings of QIT21, held Nov. 4-5 2009 in Tokyo