Wigner-Araki-Yanase theorem on Distinguishability

Takayuki Miyadera, Hideki Imai

Published 2006-05-24, updated 2006-07-21Version 2

The presence of an additive conserved quantity imposes a limitation on the measurement process. According to the Wigner-Araki-Yanase theorem, the perfect repeatability and the distinguishability on the apparatus cannot be attained simultaneously. Instead of the repeatability, in this paper, the distinguishability on 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. The inequality shows that the perfect distinguishability of both systems cannot be attained simultaneously.