Anomalous Weak Values Are Proofs of Contextuality

The average result of a weak measurement of some observable A can, under postselection of the measured quantum system, exceed the largest eigenvalue of A. The nature of weak measurements, as well as the presence of postselection and hence possible contribution of measurement disturbance, has led to a long-running debate about whether or not this is surprising. Here, it is shown that such “anomalous weak values” are nonclassical in a precise sense: a sufficiently weak measurement of one constitutes a proof of contextuality. This clarifies, for example, which features must be present (and in an experiment, verified) to demonstrate an effect with no satisfying classical explanation.