Physics and Metaphysics of Wigner's Friends: Even performed pre-measurements have no results
arXiv:2003.07464 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.130402
Abstract
"The unambiguous account of proper quantum phenomena must, in principle, include a description of all relevant features of experimental arrangement" (Bohr). The measurement process is composed of pre-measurement (quantum correlation of the system with the pointer variable), and an irreversible decoherence via interaction with an environment. The system ends up in a probabilistic mixture of the eigenstates of the measured observable. For the pre-measurement stage, any attempt to introduce an 'outcome' leads, as we show, to a logical contradiction, . This nullifies claims that a modified concept of Wigner's Friend, who just pre-measures, can lead to valid results concerning quantum theory.
arXiv comment9 pages. Final accepted version
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