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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

Quantum Zeno phenomena

Saverio Pascazio

Published Jul 23, 2002• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The time evolution of an unstable quantum system coupled with an external "measuring" apparatus is investigated. A quantum Zeno effect (hindered decay) or an inverse quantum Zeno effect (accelerated decay) may take place, depending on the features of the coupling and the response time of the apparatus. The transition between the two regimes is analyzed.

DOI
10.1117/12.475884

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The time evolution of an unstable quantum system coupled with an external "measuring" apparatus is investigated. A quantum Zeno effect (hindered decay) or an inverse quantum Zeno effect (accelerated decay) may take place, depending on the features of the coupling and the response time of the apparatus. The transition between the two regimes is analyzed.
We analyze the Zeno phenomenon in quantum field theory. The decay of an unstable system can be modified by changing the time interval between successive measurements (or by varying the coupling to an external system that plays the role of measuring apparatus). We speak of quantum Zeno effect if the decay is slowed and of inverse quantum Zeno (or Heraclitus) effect if it is accelerated. The analysis of the transition between these two regimes requires close scrutiny of the features of the interaction Hamiltonian. We look in detail at quantum field theoretical models of the Lee type.
In 1977, Mishra and Sudarshan [J. Math. Phys. 18, 756 (1977)] showed that an unstable particle would never be found decayed while it was continuously observed. They called this effect the quantum Zeno effect (or paradox). Later it was realized that the frequent measurements could also accelerate the decay (quantum anti-Zeno effect). In this paper, we investigate the quantum Zeno effect using the definite model of the measurement. We take into account the finite duration and the finite accuracy of the measurement. A general equation for the jump probability during the measurement is derived. We find that the measurements can cause inhibition (quantum Zeno effect) or acceleration (quantum anti-Zeno effect) of the evolution, depending on the strength of the interaction with the measuring device and on the properties of the system. However, the evolution cannot be fully stopped.
The inhibition of the decay of a quantum system by frequent measurements is known as quantum Zeno effect. Beyond the limit of projective measurements, the interplay between the unitary dynamics of the system and the coupling to a measurement apparatus becomes relevant. We explore this interplay by considering a quantum particle moving on a one-dimensional chain. A local measurement by coupling to an apparatus with a two-dimensional Hilbert space detects the presence of the particle on a specific chain site. The decay of the population is studied analytically for a two-site chain and numerically for a larger system as a function of the measurement time and the time between subsequent measurements. Particular attention is given to the shift of the energy of the measured site due to the coupling to the apparatus. The decay of the initial population can be hindered or accelerated, depending on the chosen system and the coupling parameters.