Journal
PHYSICAL REVIEW A
Volume 100, Issue 4, Pages -Publisher
AMER PHYSICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.100.042103
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- EPSRC
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If the time evolution of a quantum system can be understood classically, then there must exist an underlying probability distribution for the variables describing the system at a sequence of times. It is well known that for systems described by a single time-evolving dichotomic variable Q and for which a given set of temporal correlation functions are specified, a necessary set of conditions for the existence of such a probability are provided by the Leggett-Garg (LG) inequalities. Fine's theorem in this context is the nontrivial result that a suitably augmented set of LG inequalities are both necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of an underlying probability. We present a proof of Fine's theorem for the case of measurements on a dichotomic variable at an arbitrary number of times, thereby generalizing the familiar proofs for three and four times. We demonstrate how the LG framework and Fine's theorem can be extended to the case in which all possible twotime correlation functions are measured (instead of the partial set of two-time correlators normally studied). We examine the limit of a large number of measurements for both of the above cases.
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