We study a quantum-mechanical system, prepared, at t=0, in a model state, that subsequently decays into a sea of other states whose energy levels form a discrete spectrum with given statistical properties. An important quantity is the survival probability P(t), defined as the probability, at time t, to find the system in the original model state. Our main purpose is to analyze the influence of the discreteness and statistical properties of the spectrum on the behavior of P(t). Since P(t) itself is a statistical quantity, we restrict our attention to its ensemble average 〈P(t)〉, which is calculated analytically using random-matrix techniques, within certain approximations discussed in the text. We find, for 〈P(t)〉, an exponential decay, followed by a revival, governed by the two-point structure function of the statistical spectrum, thus giving a nonzero asymptotic value for large t's. The analytic result compares well with a number of computer simulations, over a time range discussed in the text.
We study a quantum-mechanical system, prepared, at t=0, in a model state, that subsequently decays into a sea of other states whose energy levels form a discrete spectrum with given statistical properties. An important quantity is the survival probability P(t), defined as the probability, at time t, to find the system in the original model state. Our main purpose is to analyze the influence of the discreteness and statistical properties of the spectrum on the behavior of P(t). Since P(t) itself is a statistical quantity, we restrict our attention to its ensemble average 〈P(t)〉, which is calculated analytically using random-matrix techniques, within certain approximations discussed in the text. We find, for 〈P(t)〉, an exponential decay, followed by a revival, governed by the two-point structure function of the statistical spectrum, thus giving a nonzero asymptotic value for large t's. The analytic result compares well with a number of computer simulations, over a time range discussed in the text.
The temporal behavior of quantum mechanical systems is reviewed. We mainly focus our attention on the time development of the so-called “survival” probability of those systems that are initially prepared in eigenstates of the unperturbed Hamiltonian, by assuming that the latter has a continuous spectrum. The exponential decay of the survival probability, familiar, for example, in radioactive decay phenomena, is representative of a purely probabilistic character of the system under consideration and is naturally expected to lead to a master equation. This behavior, however, can be found only at intermediate times, for deviations from it exist both at short and long times and can have significant consequences. After a short introduction to the long history of the research on the temporal behavior of such quantum mechanical systems, the short-time behavior and its controversial consequences when it is combined with von Neumann’s projection postulate in quantum measurement theory are critically overviewed from a dynamical point of view. We also discuss the so-called quantum Zeno effect from this standpoint. The behavior of the survival amplitude is then scrutinized by investigating the analytic properties of its Fourier and Laplace transforms. The analytic property that there is no singularity except a branch cut running along the real energy axis in the first Riemannian sheet is an important reflection of the time-reversal invariance of the dynamics governing the whole process. It is shown that the exponential behavior is due to the presence of a simple pole in the second Riemannian sheet, while the contribution of the branch point yields a power behavior for the amplitude. The exponential decay form is cancelled at short times and dominated at very long times by the branch-point contributions, which give a Gaussian behavior for the former and a power behavior for the latter. In order to realize the exponential law in quantum theory, it is essential to take into account a certain kind of macroscopic nature of the total system, since the exponential behavior is regarded as a manifestation of a complete loss of coherence of the quantum subsystem under consideration. In this respect, a few attempts at extracting the exponential decay form on the basis of quantum theory, aiming at the master equation, are briefly reviewed, including van Hove’s pioneering work and his well-known “λ2T” limit. In the attempt to further clarify the mechanism of the appearance of a purely probabilistic behavior without resort to any approximation, a solvable dynamical model is presented and extensively studied. The model describes an ultrarelativistic particle interacting with N two-level systems (called “spins”) and is shown to exhibit an exponential behavior at all times in the weak-coupling, macroscopic limit. Furthermore, it is shown that the model can even reproduce the short-time Gaussian behavior followed by the exponential law when an appropriate initial state is chosen. The analysis is exact and no approximation is involved. An interpretation for the change of the temporal behavior in quantum systems is drawn from the results obtained. Some implications for the quantum measurement problem are also discussed, in particular in connection with dissipation.
We analyze the wave-packet dynamics scenario produced by Random Matrix Theory models with unconventional band-profile structures. Our motivation is to understand the energy spreading of quantum systems with complex dynamics. Examples of such systems include complex nuclei, atoms and molecules, quantum dots, and Bose-Einstein Condensates in optical traps, which, under the influence of an external perturbation, experience an energy redistribution of the initially prepared state. Such a perturbation could be due to an external electric or magnetic field, a change in the confining geometry, or a residual interaction, among other things. Of special interest in our analysis is the investigation of the time relaxation properties of a prepared state into a sea of other states (the continuum). We find that, for a large family of power spectra characterized by a non-flat profile, the survival probability P(t) might exhibit either exponential-like or power-law decay.
Abstract What happens when a quantum system undergoing unitary evolution in time is subject to repeated projective measurements to the initial state at random times? A question of general interest is: how does the survival probability S m , namely, the probability that an initial state survives even after m number of measurements, behave as a function of m ? We address these issues in the context of two paradigmatic quantum systems, one, the quantum random walk evolving in discrete time, and the other, the tight-binding model evolving in continuous time, with both defined on a one-dimensional periodic lattice with a finite number of sites N . For these two models, we present several numerical and analytical results that hint at the curious nature of quantum measurement dynamics. In particular, we unveil that when evolution after every projective measurement continues with the projected component of the instantaneous state, the average and the typical survival probability decay as an exponential in m for large m . By contrast, if the evolution continues with the leftover component, namely, what remains of the instantaneous state after a measurement has been performed, the survival probability exhibits two characteristic m values, namely, m 1 ⋆ ( N ) ∼ N and m 2 ⋆ ( N ) ∼ N δ with δ > 1. These scales are such that (i) for m large and satisfying m < m 1 ⋆ ( N ) , the decay of the survival probability is as m −2 , (ii) for m satisfying m 1 ⋆ ( N ) ≪ m < m 2 ⋆ ( N ) , the decay is as m −3/2 , while (iii) for m ≫ m 2 ⋆ ( N ) , the decay is as an exponential. The results for the dynamics with the leftover component, already known for the case of measurements at regular intervals, are being extended here to the case of measurements at random intervals. We find that our results hold independently of the choice of the distribution of times between successive measurements, as have been corroborated by our resu
The time evolution of quantum decay of an arbitrary state initially located within an interaction region of finite range is investigated. We compare the survival S(t) and nonescape P(t) probabilities. Our approach considers the full resonant spectra of the system using a novel representation of the time-dependent Green function. It is shown that, for an initial state near a resonance, S(t) and P(t) exhibit at long times a different behavior; not only the onset to a power law decay occurs at a different time, but also instead of the well known $S(t)\ensuremath{\sim}{t}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ we obtain $P(t)\ensuremath{\sim}{t}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$.
The Fock-Krylov formalism for the calculation of survival probabilities of unstable states is revisited paying particular attention to the mathematical constraints on the density of states, the Fourier transform of which gives the survival amplitude. We show that it is not possible to construct a density of states corresponding to a purely exponential survival amplitude. The survival probability P(t) and the autocorrelation function of the density of states are shown to form a pair of cosine Fourier transforms. This result is a particular case of the Wiener-Khinchin theorem and forces P(t) to be an even function of time which in turn forces the density of states to contain a form factor which vanishes at large energies. Subtle features of the transition regions from the nonexponential to the exponential at small times and the exponential to the power-law decay at large times are discussed by expressing P(t) as a function of the number of oscillations n performed by it. The transition at short times is shown to occur when the survival probability has completed one oscillation. The number of oscillations depends on the properties of the resonant state and a complete description of the evolution of the unstable state is provided by determining the limits on the number of oscillations in each region.
What happens when a quantum system undergoing unitary evolution in time is subject to repeated projective measurements to the initial state at random times? A question of general interest is: How does the survival probability Sm, namely, the probability that an initial state survives even after m number of measurements, behave as a function of m? In the context of two paradigmatic quantum systems, one evolving in discrete and the other in continuous time, we present a wealth of numerical and analytical results that hint at the curious nature of quantum measurement dynamics. In particular, we unveil that when evolution after every projective measurement continues with the projected component of the instantaneous state, the average and the typical survival probability decay as an exponential in m for large m. By contrast, if the evolution continues with the leftover component, namely, what remains of the instantaneous state after a measurement has been performed, the survival probability decays asymptotically as a power law in m with exponent 3/2. These results hold independently of the choice of the distribution of times between successive measurements, implying robustness and ubiquity of our derived results.