High-energy decays and weak quantum measurements

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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Publication Details

Journal
The European Physical Journal C
Published
2026-04-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-026-15694-0
Primary Topic
International Science and Diplomacy
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

High-energy decays and weak quantum measurements

A. J. Barr
The European Physical Journal C
International Science and Diplomacy
article

High-energy decays and weak quantum measurements

A. J. Barr
article en

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.

The European Physical Journal CVol. 86(4)
University of Geneva (CH), Kingston College (GB), University of Oxford (GB)
John Templeton Foundation, University of Oxford, Science and Technology Facilities Council
Openalex Percentile: Top 100%
International Science and Diplomacy
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