Counterfactual quantum measurements
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 of Study & Subjects
Quantum Mechanics and Applications
Quantum Information and Cryptography
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Physical Review A
- Volume
- 113
- Issue
- 4
- Publication date
- 10 March 2026
- Language
- EN