On the experiment-friendly formulation of quantum backflow

• Main Authors: Maximilien Barbier, Arseni Goussev
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Verein zur Förderung des Open Access Publizierens in den Quantenwissenschaften 2021-09-01
• Series: Quantum
• Online Access: https://quantum-journal.org/papers/q-2021-09-07-536/pdf/

In its standard formulation, quantum backflow is a classically impossible phenomenon in which a free quantum particle in a positive-momentum state exhibits a negative probability current. Recently, Miller et al. [Quantum 5, 379 (2021)] have put forward a new, "experiment-friendly" formulation of quantum backflow that aims at extending the notion of quantum backflow to situations in which the particle's state may have both positive and negative momenta. Here, we investigate how the experiment-friendly formulation of quantum backflow compares to the standard one when applied to a free particle in a positive-momentum state. We show that the two formulations are not always compatible. We further identify a parametric regime in which the two formulations appear to be in qualitative agreement with one another.