Weak values of a quantum observable and the cross-Wigner distribution

Abstract

We study the weak values of a quantum observable from the point of view of the Wigner formalism. The main actor is here the cross-Wigner transform of two functions, which is in disguise the cross-ambiguity function familiar from radar theory and time-frequency analysis. It allows us to express weak values using a complex probability distribution. We suggest that our approach seems to confirm that the weak value of an observable is, as conjectured by several authors, due to the interference of two wavefunctions, one coming from the past, and the other from the future.