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Logical Pre- and Post-Selection Paradoxes, Measurement-Disturbance and Contextuality

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Abstract

Many seemingly paradoxical effects are known in the predictions for outcomes of measurements made on pre- and post-selected quantum systems. A class of such effects, which we call ‘`logical pre- and post-selection paradoxes,’' bear a striking resemblance to proofs of the Bell-Kochen-Specker theorem, which suggests that they demonstrate the contextuality of quantum mechanics. Despite the apparent similarity, we show that such effects can occur in noncontextual hidden variable theories, provided measurements are allowed to disturb the values of the hidden variables.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

    M S Leifer & R W Spekkens

  2. Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, 31 Caroline Street North, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 2Y5

    M S Leifer

Authors
  1. M S Leifer
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  2. R W Spekkens
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Correspondence to M S Leifer.

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PACS: 03.65.Ta.

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Leifer, M.S., Spekkens, R.W. Logical Pre- and Post-Selection Paradoxes, Measurement-Disturbance and Contextuality. Int J Theor Phys 44, 1977–1987 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10773-005-8975-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10773-005-8975-1

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