
The three main points of this article are: 1. Quantum mechanical data differ from conventional data: for example, joint distributions usually cannot be defined conventionally; 2. rigorous methods have been developed for analyzing such data; the methods often use quantum-consistent analogs of classical statistical procedures; 3. with these procedures, statisticians, both data-analytic and more theoretically oriented, can become active participants in many new and emerging areas of science and biotechnology. In the physical realm described by quantum mechanics, many conven- tional statistical and probabilistic assumptions no longer hold. Probabi- listic ideas are central to quantum theory but the standard Kolmogorov axioms are not uniformly applicable. Studying such phenomena requires an altered model for sample spaces, for random variables and for inference and decision making. The appropriate decision theory has been in devel- opment since the mid-1960s. It is both mathematically and statistically rigorous and conforms to the requirements of the known physical results. This article provides a tour of the structure and current applications of quantum-consistent statistical inference and decision theory. It presents examples, outlines the theory and considers applications and open prob- lems. Certain central concepts of quantum theory are more clearly appre- hended in terms of the quantum-consistent statistical decision theory. For example, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle can be obtained as a consequence of the quantum version of the Cramer-Rao inequality. This places concepts of statistical estimation and decision theory, and thus the statistician, at the center of the quantum measurement process. Quantum statistical inference offers considerable scope for participa- tion by the statistical community, in both applications and foundational questions.
Parametric inference, Heisenberg uncertainty, self-adjoint operator, Bayesian inference, Hilbert space, spectral measure, de Finetti representation theorem, Cramer-Rao inequality, Quantum measurement theory, state operations, state preparations, Quantum mechanics, joint distribution, Introductory exposition (textbooks, tutorial papers, etc.) pertaining to quantum theory, probability-operator measure, decision theory
Parametric inference, Heisenberg uncertainty, self-adjoint operator, Bayesian inference, Hilbert space, spectral measure, de Finetti representation theorem, Cramer-Rao inequality, Quantum measurement theory, state operations, state preparations, Quantum mechanics, joint distribution, Introductory exposition (textbooks, tutorial papers, etc.) pertaining to quantum theory, probability-operator measure, decision theory
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