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For an ideal projective measurement with the Lüders rule, condition on both an initial quantum state preparation and a final successful postselection. Its outcome probabilities are proportional to $|⟨b|P_j|a⟩{|}^2$, where $a$ is the forward-evolved initial state and $b$ the backward-evolved final state. The normalization must be nonzero. The expression is symmetric in these two boundary states, although its derivation uses the ordinary Born rule and conditional state update.

In the ABL rule, probabilities depend on the full intermediate quantum measurement instrument. A binary Lüders rule quantum measurement preserves coherence within its unresolved complement, whereas a fully resolved projective measurement removes it. Summing fine-grained probabilities after quantum measurement does not generally reproduce the coarse-grained experiment. Different postselection success rates are part of the distinction.

Let $U_1=e^{-iH(t-t_1)/\hslash }$ and $U_2=e^{-iH(t_2-t)/\hslash }$ describe unitary time evolution. For an ideal projective measurement with the Lüders rule, its unconditioned outcome probability is $p_j=\Vert P_j{U}_1|\psi ⟩{\Vert }^2$. After that outcome, the normalized state is $P_j{U}_1|\psi ⟩/\sqrt{p_j}$. The Born rule probability of successful postselection is then $|⟨{\psi }^{\prime }|U_2{P}_j{U}_1|\psi ⟩{|}^2/p_j$. Multiplying gives the joint probabilityConditional probability therefore gives the Aharonov-Bergmann-Lebowitz rule:The denominator must be positive; otherwise the selected subensemble does not occur. Define the forward-evolved ket $|a⟩=U_1|\psi ⟩$ and backward-evolved ket $|b⟩=U_2^{†}|{\psi }^{\prime }⟩$. The numerator becomes $|⟨b|P_j|a⟩{|}^2$, which is unchanged by interchanging $a,b$. Equivalently, with ${\rho }_a=|a⟩⟨a|$ and ${\rho }_b=|b⟩⟨b|$,This expresses the boundary-state symmetry explicitly. It follows from the ordinary time-asymmetric preparation, Born rule, and state update; it does not posit an additional backward dynamical collapse.

Restore the post-selected vector omitted entirely from the TeX aid by reading the original PDF. Write $D=N^2-N+1$ andIts norm is one because $N+(N-1{)}^2=D$. For the uniform prestate and $H=0$, put $c=1/\sqrt{(N+1)D}$. The individual transition amplitudes areIn experiment $E_i$, the complement amplitude is $c-c=0$. Thus for every $i\le N$,The successful postselection rate in this experiment is $c^2=1/((N+1)D)$.

In the fully resolved experiment $E_0$, the ABL rule squares the individual amplitudes before summing. Their squared sum is $D{c}^2=1/(N+1)$, givingThese probabilities sum to one. For $N=1$ they reduce to a single certain outcome in either quantum measurement. For $N\ge 2$, the N-box pre- and post-selection paradox is that each separate binary question can be answered affirmatively with certainty, although the fully resolved quantum measurement cannot give all those outcomes at once.

There is no inconsistency. In $E_i$, the unresolved complement preserves coherent cancellation between its basis contributions under the Lüders rule. In $E_0$, those alternatives are resolved, so their squared amplitudes add instead. The different projective measurements disturb the state differently and have different postselection success rates. Merely merging the recorded $E_0$ outcomes afterwards does not reproduce $E_i$. This is the context dependence of pre- and post-selected measurements; certainties in mutually alternative experiments do not describe simultaneous measurement-independent properties.

Apply $V^{-1}$ to the data and phase quantum registers, leaving the flag quantum ancilla untouched. This inverse needs no extra oracle assumption: the promised dyadic eigenvalues give $U^{2^n}=I$, hence $U^{-1}=U^{2^n-1}$. The inverse of each controlled unitary gate used in $V$ can therefore be built from repeated uses of the supplied controlled-$U$, and the known Hadamard gates and quantum Fourier transform gates can be reversed. Uncomputation is necessary to erase the eigenvalue label coherently. The resulting quantum state isA quantum measurement in the computational basis of the flag followed by postselection on one yieldsThis requires $A|b⟩\ne 0$. For a normalized input and nonnegative eigenvalues, the success probability of positive quantum spectral filtering satisfies $P_{\mathrm{success}}\ge {\lambda }_{\min }^2$. In the general inequality, equality holds precisely when the input is supported on the minimum-eigenvalue eigenspace. Omitting uncomputation and discarding the phase quantum register would instead leave a mixed state with diagonal weights proportional to $|{\beta }_j{|}^2{\lambda }_j^2$, rather than the desired coherent pure state.

The printed universal nonzero-success request needs a nonkernel-input hypothesis. An $n$-qubit Hermitian operator has $2^n$ eigenvalues, counted with multiplicity. All are distinct, and the printed dyadic grid contains exactly $2^n$ possible values. They therefore occupy the entire grid, including zero: this is a multiplicity-free complete dyadic spectrum, and ${\lambda }_{\min }=0$. Taking $n=1$, $A=\mathrm{diag}(0,1/2)$, and $|b⟩=|0⟩$ satisfies every printed spectral promise but gives $A|b⟩=0$. No normalized output vector exists, so no algorithm can deliver it with nonzero probability.

For every input outside the kernel, the procedure above has $P_{\mathrm{success}}>0={\lambda }_{\min }^2$, giving the requested strict bound on the meaningful domain. The corrected result is therefore exact quantum spectral filtering conditional on $A|b⟩\ne 0$, with the boxed probability. This does not require knowing the input probability amplitudes or making extra copies of an unknown quantum state. Arbitrarily small nonzero support outside the kernel gives arbitrarily small success probability, and a failed flag measurement disturbs the input; fresh independent trials cannot be assumed when only one unknown physical input is supplied.

Let a Hermitian operator $A$ have dyadic eigenvalues ${\lambda }_j=c_j/2^t$ in $[0,1)$ for known $t$, with controlled access to the unitary operator $U=e^{2\pi iA}$. This interval ensures that different eigenvalues have different eigenphases; exact representability alone would not exclude phase aliasing, as $0$ and $1$ both give phase zero. Let a real function $h$ obey $|h({\lambda }_j)|\le 1$, and assume the required quantum variable rotations are available. Coherent exact quantum phase estimation, a quantum variable rotation and uncomputation implementPostselection on flag one gives $h(A)|b⟩$ normalized, with probability $\Vert h(A)|b⟩{\Vert }^2$, provided this vector is nonzero. Erasing the eigenvalue label by uncomputation is essential to preserve coherence between different eigenvectors. On this dyadic spectrum, $U^{2^t}=I$ gives $U^{-1}=U^{2^t-1}$, so reversing the phase-estimation gates is possible using forward controlled-$U$ calls. The choice $h(\lambda )=\lambda$ multiplies by $A$; a scaled reciprocal gives the different filter used in the HHL algorithm.