Quasi-probabilities in Conditioned Quantum Measurement and a Geometric/Statistical Interpretation of Aharonov's Weak Value

TL;DR

This paper introduces quasi-probabilities to describe joint behaviors of quantum observables, especially in conditioned measurements like weak values, providing a geometric and statistical interpretation that unifies various quantum measurement concepts.

Contribution

It develops a general framework for constructing quasi-joint-probability distributions for pairs of observables, linking them to geometric structures and offering new insights into weak values.

Findings

QJP distributions reduce to standard joint probabilities for commuting observables.

Non-commuting observables admit multiple QJP candidates, reflecting inherent indefiniteness.

Weak value interpreted as orthogonal projection or conditioning in a geometric/statistical framework.

Abstract

We show that the joint behaviour of an arbitrary pair of quantum observables can be described by quasi-probabilities, which are extensions of the standard probabilities used for describing the behaviour of a single observable. The physical situations that require these quasi-probabilities arise when one considers quantum measurement of an observable conditioned by some other variable, with the notable example being the weak measurement employed to obtain Aharonov's weak value. Specifically, we present a general prescription for the construction of quasi-joint-probability (QJP) distributions associated with a given pair of observables. These QJP distributions are introduced in two complementary approaches: one from a bottom-up, strictly operational construction realised by examining the mathematical framework of the conditioned measurement scheme, and the other from a top-down viewpoint realised by applying the results of spectral theorem for normal operators and its Fourier transforms. It is then revealed that, for a pair of simultaneously measurable observables, the QJP distribution reduces to their unique standard joint-probability distribution, whereas for a non-commuting pair there exists an inherent indefiniteness in the choice, admitting a multitude of candidates that may equally be used for describing their joint behaviour. In the course of our argument, we find that the QJP distributions furnish the space of operators with their characteristic geometric structures such that the orthogonal projections and inner products of observables can, respectively, be given statistical interpretations as `conditionings' and `correlations'. The weak value $A_{w}$ for an observable $A$ is then given a geometric/statistical interpretation as either the orthogonal projection of $A$ onto the subspace generated by another observable $B$, or equivalently, as the conditioning of $A$ given $B$.