Coarsening measurement references and the quantum-to-classical transition

Phys Rev Lett. 2014 Jan 10;112(1):010402. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.010402. Epub 2014 Jan 6.

Abstract

We investigate the role of inefficiency in quantum measurements in the quantum-to-classical transition, and consistently observe the quantum-to-classical transition by coarsening the references of the measurements (e.g., when and where to measure). Our result suggests that the definition of measurement precision in quantum theory should include the degree of the observer's ability to precisely control the measurement references.