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arXiv:2511.10197 · The European Physical Journal C

High-Energy Decays and Weak Quantum Measurements

Alan J. Barr

hep-phhep-exquant-phSubmitted Nov 13, 2025• Announced Nov 14, 2025• 1 citation• Revised Mar 10, 2026 (v2)
v1 · Nov 13, 2025v2 · Mar 10, 2026
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Abstract

High-energy particle decays naturally realise informationally weak measurements of quantum spin. Decay kinematics act as continuous pointer variables whose overlapping angular distributions encode partial, non-projective information about the parent spin state. Ensemble averages of these pointers yield weak values, linking collider spin-density reconstruction to Aharonov-Vaidman measurement theory. This framework unifies spin tomography, entangled-decay correlations, and spin-correlation algorithms, showing that relativistic decays realise informationally weak measurements of spin and suggesting new ways to probe coherence and interference in high-energy processes.

Comments
5 pages. v2 provides a better quantitative description of the informational weakness of the decay and relates it to spin analysing power

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High-energy particle decays naturally realise informationally weak measurements of quantum spin. Decay kinematics act as continuous pointer variables whose overlapping angular distributions encode partial, non-projective information about the parent spin state. Ensemble averages of these pointers yield weak values, linking collider spin-density reconstruction to Aharonov-Vaidman measurement theory. This framework unifies spin tomography, entangled-decay correlations, and spin-correlation algorithms, showing that relativistic decays realise informationally weak measurements of spin and suggesting new ways to probe coherence and interference in high-energy processes.
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Weak measurements are a unique tool for accessing information about weakly interacting quantum systems with minimal back action. Joint weak measurements of single-particle operators with pointer states characterized by a two-dimensional Gaussian distribution can provide, in turn, key information about quantum correlations that can be relevant for quantum information applications. Here we demonstrate that by employing two-dimensional pointer states endowed with orbital angular momentum (OAM), it is possible to extract weak values of the higher order moments of single-particle operators, an inaccessible quantity with Gaussian pointer states only. We provide a specific example that illustrates the advantages of our method both in terms of signal enhancement and information retrieval.
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