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Physical Review A

Quantum Zeno effect and adiabatic change

Masao Kitano

Published Aug 1, 1997• 18 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We show that the quantum Zeno effect and the adiabatic change have a close connection even though the former means a halt of the dynamics by frequent measurements and the latter is the dynamics by a slowly changing Hamiltonian. We investigate the motion of a spin under stepping magnetic fields in terms of the (inverse) quantum Zeno effect. The relation between this model and the adiabatic change is studied. Another model is used to integrate the two effects into one formulation which is an extension of the proof of the adiabatic theorem. Despite their good parallelism, the asymptotic behaviors of the transition probability with respect to the total period $T$ have different forms; the former effect shows a ${T}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ behavior while the latter scales ${T}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.56.1138

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Quantum Zeno Dynamics

The evolution of a quantum system undergoing very frequent measurements takes place in a subspace of the total Hilbert space (quantum Zeno effect). The dynamical properties A quantum system, prepared in a state that does not belong to an eigenvalue of its total Hamiltonian, starts to evolve quadratically in time [1, 2]. This behavior leads to the so-called quantum Zeno phenomenon: by performing frequent measurements on the system, in order to check whether it is still in its initial state, one can “slow

•Jan 1, 2000•0 citations
We show that the quantum Zeno effect and the adiabatic change have a close connection even though the former means a halt of the dynamics by frequent measurements and the latter is the dynamics by a slowly changing Hamiltonian. We investigate the motion of a spin under stepping magnetic fields in terms of the (inverse) quantum Zeno effect. The relation between this model and the adiabatic change is studied. Another model is used to integrate the two effects into one formulation which is an extension of the proof of the adiabatic theorem. Despite their good parallelism, the asymptotic behaviors of the transition probability with respect to the total period TTT have different forms; the former effect shows a T\ensuremath−1{T}^{\ensuremath{-}1}T\ensuremath−1 behavior while the latter scales T\ensuremath−2{T}^{\ensuremath{-}2}T\ensuremath−2.
We study the quantum Zeno effect in quantum statistical mechanics within the operator algebraic framework. We formulate a condition for the appearance of the effect in W *-dynamical systems, in terms of the short-time behaviour of the dynamics. Examples of quantum spin systems show that this condition can be effectively applied to quantum statistical mechanical models. Furthermore, we derive an explicit form of the Zeno generator, and use it to construct Gibbs equilibrium states for the Zeno dynamics. As a concrete example, we consider the X – Y model, for which we show that a frequent measurement at a microscopic level, e.g. a single lattice site, can produce a macroscopic effect in changing the global equilibrium.
If very frequent periodic measurements ascertain whether a quantum system is still in its initial state, its evolution is hindered. This peculiar phenomenon is called quantum Zeno effect. We investigate the large-time limit of the survival probability as the total observation time scales as a power of the measurement frequency, t∝Nα. The limit survival probability exhibits a sudden jump from 1 to 0 at α=1/2, the threshold between the quantum Zeno effect and a diffusive behavior. Moreover, we show that for α≥1, the limit probability becomes sensitive to the spectral properties of the initial state and to the arithmetic properties of the measurement periods.
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.
The evolution of a quantum system undergoing very frequent measurements takes place in a proper subspace of the total Hilbert space (quantum Zeno effect). When the measuring apparatus is included in the quantum description, the Zeno effect becomes a pure consequence of the dynamics. We show that for continuous measurement processes the quantum Zeno evolution derives from an adiabatic theorem. The system is forced to evolve in a set of orthogonal subspaces of the total Hilbert space and a dynamical superselection rule arises. The dynamical properties of this evolution are investigated and several examples are considered.
Itano and co-workers [Wayne M. Itano, D. J. Heinzen, J. J. Bollinger, and D. J. Wineland, Phys. Rev. A 41, 2295 (1990)] have recently reported the experimental verification of the quantum Zeno effect, which is the inhibition of a quantum transition by frequent measurements. In this article, we offer an alternative interpretation of the quantum Zeno effect. We show that an analysis of the dynamics of the full three-level system gives the same result. There is no need to assume explicitly that the wave function has collapsed, nor even to assume that an ideal measurement has been made. In addition, we differentiate between what has been referred to as the quantum Zeno effect and what has been termed the quantum Zeno paradox. The former is the inhibition of induced transitions, and the latter is the, as yet experimentally unobserved, inhibition of spontaneous decay. Our interpretation, which emphasizes the ``measurement''-induced interruption of atomic-state coherences as the cause of inhibited quantum transitions, suggests a resolution to the quantum Zeno paradox. The theoretical limit of continuous observation is discussed.
The evolution of a quantum system undergoing very frequent measurements takes place in a subspace of the total Hilbert space (quantum Zeno effect). The dynamical properties A quantum system, prepared in a state that does not belong to an eigenvalue of its total Hamiltonian, starts to evolve quadratically in time [1, 2]. This behavior leads to the so-called quantum Zeno phenomenon: by performing frequent measurements on the system, in order to check whether it is still in its initial state, one can “slow