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Counterfactual quantum measurements

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abstract

Counterfactual reasoning plays a crucial role in exploring hypothetical scenarios, by comparing some consequent under conditions identical except as results from a differing antecedent. David Lewis' well-known analysis evaluates counterfactuals using a hierarchy of desiderata. These were, however, built upon a deterministic classical framework, and whether it could be generalized to indeterministic quantum theory has been an open question. In this paper, we propose a formalism for quantum counterfactuals in which antecedents are measurement settings. Unlike other approaches, it non-trivially answers questions like: "Given that a photon-detector, observing an atom's fluorescence, clicked at a certain time, what would a field-quadrature detector have measured, if it had been used instead?"

fields

quant-ph 1

years

2025 1

verdicts

UNVERDICTED 1

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Counterfactual quantum measurements

quant-ph · 2025-10-02 · unverdicted · novelty 5.0

Authors develop a quantum counterfactual formalism with measurement settings as antecedents that non-trivially answers hypothetical questions about alternative detectors.

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  • Counterfactual quantum measurements quant-ph · 2025-10-02 · unverdicted · none · ref 2 · internal anchor

    Authors develop a quantum counterfactual formalism with measurement settings as antecedents that non-trivially answers hypothetical questions about alternative detectors.