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arXiv:quant-ph/0605213 · Physical Review A

Wigner-Araki-Yanase theorem on distinguishability

Takayuki Miyadera, Hideki Imai

Published Aug 22, 2006• 17 citations
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Abstract

The presence of an additive-conserved quantity imposes a limitation on the measurement process. According to the Wigner-Araki-Yanase theorem, perfect repeatability and distinguishability of the apparatus cannot be attained simultaneously. Instead of repeatability, in this paper, the distinguishability in both systems is examined. We derive a trade-off inequality between the distinguishability of the final states on the system and the one on the apparatus. An inequality shows that perfect distinguishability of both systems cannot be attained simultaneously.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.74.024101

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The presence of an additive-conserved quantity imposes a limitation on the measurement process. According to the Wigner-Araki-Yanase theorem, perfect repeatability and distinguishability of the apparatus cannot be attained simultaneously. Instead of repeatability, in this paper, the distinguishability in both systems is examined. We derive a trade-off inequality between the distinguishability of the final states on the system and the one on the apparatus. An inequality shows that perfect distinguishability of both systems cannot be attained simultaneously.
The relationship between the measurement of an operator and the presence of a conservation law is studied using generalized coherent states. It is shown that an operator which does not commute with a conserved quantity cannot be measured exactly; this is an extension of the theorem by Wigner, Araki and Yanase, expressing the conserved quantity in a more general form. Classical operators play an important role in this approach. We present a simple model of the approximate measurement of a particle-spin which does not commute with the (additive) conserved angular momentum. Also, using two other models we show that the condition of distinguishability of pointer-operators is consistent with the situation where the statistical operator in a physical system tends to just its mixed-part.
The Wigner-Araki-Yanase (WAY) theorem states a remarkable limitation to quantum mechanical measurements in the presence of additive conserved quantities. Discovered by Wigner in 1952, this limitation is known to induce constraints on the control of individual quantum systems in the context of information processing. It is therefore important to understand the precise conditions and scope of the WAY theorem. Here we elucidate its crucial assumptions, briefly review some generalizations, and show how a particular extension can already be obtained by a simple modification of the original proofs. We also describe the evolution of the WAY theorem from a strict no-go verdict for certain, highly idealized, precise measurements into a quantitative constraint on the accuracy and approximate repeatability of imprecise measurements.
The Wigner–Araki–Yanase theorem is often interpreted as meaning that there must be an error in measurement under certain conditions (when the commutator C between an additive conserved quantity and the discrete-spectrumed measured quantity does not vanish), and that the error may only be reduced by increasing the size of the apparatus. By explicit example, it is shown that it is possible to have a perfectly accurate measurement if the system being measured is disturbed, regardless of the size of the apparatus. Also illustrated is how the error in an imperfectly accurate measurement may be reduced by decreasing the magnitude of C, without affecting the size of the apparatus.
The Wigner-Araki-Yanase (WAY) theorem shows that additive conservation laws limit the accuracy of measurements. Recently, various quantitative expressions have been found for quantum limits on measurements induced by additive conservation laws, and have been applied to the study of fundamental limits on quantum-information processing. Here, we investigate generalizations of the WAY theorem to multiplicative conservation laws. The WAY theorem is extended to show that an observable not commuting with the modulus of, or equivalently the square of, a multiplicatively conserved quantity cannot be precisely measured. We also obtain a lower bound for the mean-square noise of a measurement in the presence of a multiplicatively conserved quantity. To overcome this noise it is necessary to make large the coefficient of variation (the so-called relative fluctuation), instead of the variance as is the case for additive conservation laws, of the conserved quantity in the apparatus.
The Wigner-Araki-Yanase (WAY) theorem is a well-known theorem regarding limitations of quantum measurement in the presence of additive conservation laws. Under the assumptions of the von Neumann measurement model, for which the system conserved quantity LSL_{S}LS​ is bounded, given a conserved total additive system plus apparatus quantity LSAL_{SA}LSA​, the measurement operator ESE_{S}ES​ must commute with LSL_{S}LS​. Prior proofs have exploited the properties of unitary evolution constrained by momentum conserving operations that tend to obscure the physical nature of the WAY theorem and as well lead to bounds on performance. As it is generally agreed that momentum is always exactly conserved in measurement, we instead develop a general angular momentum conserving model of measurement. This model is shown to lead to a simple explanation of the major implications of the WAY theorem and provides exact results of the effects of measurement based on the apparatus model. This is shown by both tracing the apparatus from the density matrix and also via a system-only channel model based on Kraus operators.