Even if quantum particles lie still, they still produce noise. This noise resembles the traces left after each measurement. Previously, scientists thought that random fields caused the noise, but now it has turned out that the measurements themselves create it.

An interpreter gets distracted by every rustle in the hall, and a one-hour meeting stretches into two. Similarly, a quantum system: each measurement leaves an imprint, altering its state. The scientists built a model where particle evolution is a chain of measurements and evolutions. For strong measurements, they use projectors; for weak ones, POVM elements with a Gaussian profile.

This discovery helps in quantum computers, where noise prevents particles from retaining information. Now engineers can better design error correction schemes, knowing where the noise comes from. And in precision sensors, such as magnetometers, the signal can be interpreted more accurately.