The author shows that the state determination of a pure spin state can be obtained from the results of three Stern-Gerlach type measurements. If the initial state is m=0 state, the selection of measurements cannot be made in advance.
Coherent states provide an appealing method to reconstruct efficiently the pure state of a quantum mechanical spin s. A Stern-Gerlach apparatus is used to measure (4s+1) expectations of projection operators on appropriate coherent states in the unknown state. These measurements are compatible with a finite number of states which can be distinguished, in the generic case, by measuring one more probability. In addition, the present technique shows that the zeroes of a Husimi distribution do have an operational meaning: they can be identified directly by measurements with a Stern-Gerlach apparatus. This result comes down to saying that it is possible to resolve experimentally structures in quantum phase-space which are smaller than ¯h. To determine the unknown state of a quantum system poses a problem which is interesting from a theoretical, an experimental, and a conceptual point of view. To set up a successful approach to state reconstruction (see [1] and [2] for reviews) means to identify a collection of observables, a quorum, such that their expectation values contain
Coherent states provide an appealing method to reconstruct efficiently a pure state of a quantum mechanical spin s. A Stern-Gerlach apparatus is used to measure (4s+1) expectations of projection operators on appropriate coherent states in the unknown state. These measurements are compatible with a finite number of states which can be distinguished, in the generic case, by measuring one more probability. In addition, the present technique shows that the zeroes of a Husimi distribution do have an operational meaning: they can be identified directly by measurements with a Stern-Gerlach apparatus. This result comes down to saying that it is possible to resolve experimentally structures in quantum phase-space which are smaller than hbar.
Coherent states provide an appealing method to reconstruct efficiently the pure state of a quantum mechanical spin s . A Stern-Gerlach apparatus is used to measure (4 s +1) expectations of projection operators on appropriate coherent states in the unknown state. These measurements are compatible with a finite number of states which can be distinguished, in the generic case, by measuring one more probability. In addition, the present technique shows that the zeros of a Husimi distribution do have an operational meaning: they can be identified directly by measurements with a Stern-Gerlach apparatus. This result comes down to saying that it is possible to resolve experimentally structures in quantum phase space which are smaller than .
L'objet de cet article est la determination de la fonction d'onde d'un systeme physique soumis a une mesure c'est-a-dire la determination du module et de la phase de cette fonction. Pour determiner l'etat de spin d'une particule, on propose ici une version de l'ezperience de Stern-Gerlach utilisant un champ magnetique inhomogene et faible. On montre que ce modele correspond a une mesure quantique de type non-canonique et on etablit la comparaison avec l'experience classique de Stern-Gerlach. Enfin on discute la possibilite d'une mesure de l'etat de spin sans reduction lorsque l'etat ne change pas pendant la mesure.
Long ago, Bohr, Pauli, and Mott argued that it is not, in principle, possible to measure the spin components of a free electron. One can try to use a Stern-Gerlach type of device, but the finite size of the beam results in an uncertainty of the splitting force that is comparable with the gradient force. The result is that no definite spin measurement can be made. Recently there has been a revival of interest in this problem, and we will present our own analysis and quantum-mechanical wave-packet calculations which suggest that a spin measurement is possible for a careful choice of initial conditions.