Physical Review Letters

Quantum Anti-Zeno Acceleration of a Chemical Reaction

Oleg V. Prezhdo

Published Nov 20, 2000• 121 citations

Abstract

Evidence of acceleration of a chemical reaction in a condensed phase due to the quantum anti-Zeno effect is presented by a quantum-mechanical calculation. The acceleration is caused by electronic decoherence. The mechanism clearly indicates the anti-Zeno effect and involves both delocalization of the electronic dynamics and a feedback loop by coupling to vibrations. Believed to be the first established example of the quantum anti-Zeno effect in chemistry, the observed phenomenon suggests the possibility of quantum control of chemical reactivity by choice of solvent.

DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.85.4413

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