Classical correlation alone supplies the anomaly to weak values

Abstract

The question of what is genuinely quantum about weak values is only ever going to elicit strongly subjective opinions---it is not a scientific question. Good questions, when comparing theories, are operational---they deal with the unquestionable outcomes of experiment. We give the anomalous shift of weak values an objective meaning through a generalization to an operational definition of anomalous post-selected averages. We show the presence of these averages necessitate correlations in every model giving rise to them---quantum or classical. Characterizing such correlations shows that they are ubiquitous. We present the simplest classical example without the need of disturbance realizing these generalized anomalous weak values.

References in corpus (6)

• In defense of the epistemic view of quantum states: a toy theory
• Weak values and the Leggett-Garg inequality in solid-state qubits
• Experimental Violation of Two-Party Leggett-Garg Inequalities with Semi-weak Measurements
• How the result of a single coin toss can turn out to be 100 heads
• Contextual-value approach to the generalized measurement of observables
• Disturbance in weak measurements and the difference between quantum and classical weak values