Time-of-arrival distributions for continuous quantum systems

Using standard results from statistics, we show that for any continuous quantum system (Gaussian or otherwise) and any observable A (position or otherwise), the distribution π _a(t) of a time measurement at a fixed state a can be inferred from the distribution ρ _t( a) of a state measurement at a fixed time t via the transformation π _a( t) = |∂/∂ t∫_-∞^aρ _t( u) du |. This finding suggests that the answer to the long-lasting time-of-arrival problem is in fact readily available in the standard formalism, secretly hidden within the Born rule, and therefore does not require the introduction of an ad-hoc time operator or a commitment to a specific (e.g., Bohmian) ontology. The generality and versatility of the result are illustrated by applications to the time-of-arrival at a given location for a free particle in a superposed state and to the time required to reach a given velocity for a free-falling quantum particle. Our approach also offers a potentially promising new avenue toward the design of an experimental protocol for the yet-to-be-performed observation of the phenomenon of quantum backflow.