Proof of Heisenberg's Error-Disturbance Relation for Individual Measurements

Abstract

Heisenberg originally envisioned the error-disturbance relation under the premise that the state after measurement must remain consistent with the Kennard-Robertson uncertainty relation. This implies that the measurement error must be formulated via a posterior observable ${\hat{x}}_t$, rather than a prior observable ${\hat{x}}_0$, because the posterior measurement error determines the post-measurement uncertainty of the electron. Building upon the preliminary conceptual foundation reported in arXiv:1504.03779, this paper presents a rigorous derivation of the error-disturbance principle formulated from the unitary transformation equations of observables. Each readout $X$ of a posterior probe observable ${\hat{X}}_t$ completes a single measurement event, producing a specific conditional object state. The Kennard-Robertson uncertainty relation must hold for these states. Specifically, we show that the uncertainty relation between the error ${\epsilon }_X({\hat{x}}_t)$ and the disturbance ${\eta }_X({\hat{p}}_0)$ holds strictly at the level of individual measurements, characterized by the specific readout $X$. We also verify that conventional error-disturbance relations, where the errors are evaluated by averaging over the unconditioned state, hold true. Our results provide a refined theoretical basis for understanding the fundamental trade-off in individual measurement outcomes.

arXiv commentThis paper builds upon the preliminary framework presented in arXiv:1504.03779