Deferred measurement principle



The deferred measurement principle is a result in quantum computing which states that delaying measurements until the end of a quantum computation doesn't affect the probability distribution of outcomes.

A consequence of the deferred measurement principle is that measuring commutes with conditioning. The choice of whether to measure a qubit before, after, or during an operation conditioned on that qubit will have no observable effect on a circuit's final expected results.

Thanks to the deferred measurement principle, measurements in a quantum circuit can often be shifted around so they happen at better times. For example, measuring qubits as early as possible can reduce the maximum number of simultaneously stored qubits; potentially enabling an algorithm to be run on a smaller quantum computer or to be simulated more efficiently. Alternatively, deferring all measurements until the end of circuits allows them to be analyzed using only pure states.