Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Time evolution and Zeno effect in relativistic quantum field theory

R. F. Álvarez-Estrada, José L. Sánchez-gómez

Published Jan 1, 2008• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

We study the time evolution of decaying particles in the framework of certain renormalizable models of relativistic quantum field theory. Significant differences between the latter and the non-relativistic quantum mechanical case are found —in particular, regarding the so-called quantum Zeno effect. In some cases, the finite time behaviour is well defined after having performed a conventional renormalization. However, in other situations, the latter does not suffice to obtain finite survival probabilities. In all cases, the crucial consistency with Fermi’s golden rule holds. The analysis of the finite time evolution in relativistic quantum field theory (RQFT) and, in particular, the behaviour at short times of the survival probability of unstable particles in RQFT is a relevant matter as far as the foundations of quantum mechanics are concerned and has some peculiarities which make it to be worth studying. But before going to RQFT, we will briefly recapitulate the main features of the survival amplitude (SA) at

Related papers

On the Absence of the Zeno Effect in Relativistic Quantum Field Theory

R. F. Álvarez-Estrada, José L. Sánchez-gómez

We study the time evolution of decaying particles in renormalizable models of Relativistic Quantum Field Theory. Significant differences between the latter and Non Relativistic Quantum Mechanics are found —in particular, the Zeno effect seems to be absent in such RQFT models. Conventional renormalization yields finite time behaviour in some cases but fails to produce finite survival probabilities in others. The analysis of the finite time evolution in relativistic quantum field theory (RQFT) and, in particular, the behaviour at short times of the survival probability of unstable particles in RQFT is a relevant matter as far as the foundations of quantum mechanics are concerned and has some peculiarities which make it to be worth studying. But before going to RQFT, we will briefly recapitulate the main features of the survival amplitude (SA) at short times in non relativistic quantum mechanics (QM henceforth); see, for instance, [1] for a comprehensive review.

•Jan 1, 2008•7 citations

Quantum zeno paradox: Survival and decay

Charles B. Chiu

Quantum mechanics enables the calculation of the time evolution of a dynamical system provided the Hamiltonian is defined and the initial state is specified. Due to the time reversal invariance, the time evolution of a given initial state at t=0 does not have a time-arrow. These problems have been extensively studied by E. C. G. Sudarshan and collaborators, including myself. Here the survival probability, which is the square of the survival amplitude, is an even function of t. Using the survival amplitude as a common framework, we discuss Zeno effects in several processes: the decay of an unstable particle, pion productions in proton-nucleus collisions and the Aharonov-Vardi effect which is another manifestation of the Zeno effect.

Journal of Physics Conference Series•Nov 1, 2009•0 citations

On survival probability of quantum states

Shunlong Luo

The survival probability of a quantum state encodes essential information concerning the decay rate of quantum particles and is the primary object for investigating the time–energy uncertainty relations and the occurrence of the quantum Zeno effect. The purpose of this article is to uncover some curious properties concerning the relations between the values of the survival probability of a quantum state at different times. These relations put surprising restrictions on the evolution pictures of quantum states, and also illustrate their peculiar intricacies.

Journal of Physics A Mathematical and General•Mar 15, 2005•15 citations

Which is the quantum decay law of relativistic particles?

S. A. Alavi, Carlo Giunti A

We discuss the relation between the quantum-mechanical survival probability of an unstable system in motion and that of the system at rest. The usual definition of the survival probability which takes into account only the time evolution of an unstable system leads to a relation between the survival probability of the system in motion and that of the system at rest which is different from the standard relation based on relativistic time dilation. This approach led other authors to claim non-standard quantum-mechanical effects which are in clear contradiction with Special Relativity. We show that an appropriate relativistic definition of the survival probability which takes into account also the space evolution of an unstable system leads to the standard relation between the survival probability of the system in motion and that of the system at rest, in agreement with Special Relativity. We present a rigorous derivation of this result based on a wave packet treatment.

arXiv:1412.3346•Europhysics Letters (EPL)•Mar 1, 2015•16 citations

TEMPORAL BEHAVIOR OF QUANTUM MECHANICAL SYSTEMS

Hiromichi Nakazato, Mikio Namiki, Saverio Pascazio

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.

arXiv:quant-ph/9509016•International Journal of Modern Physics B•Jan 30, 1996•208 citations

Influence of the measurement on the decay law: the bang-bang case

Francesco Giacosa, Giuseppe Pagliara

After reviewing the description of an unstable state in the framework of nonrelativistic Quantum Mechanics (QM) and relativistic Quantum Field Theory (QFT), we consider the effect of pulsed, ideal measurements repeated at equal time intervals on the lifetime of an unstable system. In particular, we investigate the case in which the ‘bare’ survival probability is an exact exponential (a very good approximation in both QM and QFT), but the measurement apparatus can detect the decay products only in a certain energy range. We show that the Quantum Zeno Effect can occur in this framework as well.

EPJ Web of Conferences•Jan 1, 2015•0 citations
We study the time evolution of decaying particles in the framework of certain renormalizable models of relativistic quantum field theory. Significant differences between the latter and the non-relativistic quantum mechanical case are found —in particular, regarding the so-called quantum Zeno effect. In some cases, the finite time behaviour is well defined after having performed a conventional renormalization. However, in other situations, the latter does not suffice to obtain finite survival probabilities. In all cases, the crucial consistency with Fermi’s golden rule holds. The analysis of the finite time evolution in relativistic quantum field theory (RQFT) and, in particular, the behaviour at short times of the survival probability of unstable particles in RQFT is a relevant matter as far as the foundations of quantum mechanics are concerned and has some peculiarities which make it to be worth studying. But before going to RQFT, we will briefly recapitulate the main features of the survival amplitude (SA) at
We study the time evolution of decaying particles in renormalizable models of Relativistic Quantum Field Theory. Significant differences between the latter and Non Relativistic Quantum Mechanics are found —in particular, the Zeno effect seems to be absent in such RQFT models. Conventional renormalization yields finite time behaviour in some cases but fails to produce finite survival probabilities in others. The analysis of the finite time evolution in relativistic quantum field theory (RQFT) and, in particular, the behaviour at short times of the survival probability of unstable particles in RQFT is a relevant matter as far as the foundations of quantum mechanics are concerned and has some peculiarities which make it to be worth studying. But before going to RQFT, we will briefly recapitulate the main features of the survival amplitude (SA) at short times in non relativistic quantum mechanics (QM henceforth); see, for instance, [1] for a comprehensive review.
Quantum mechanics enables the calculation of the time evolution of a dynamical system provided the Hamiltonian is defined and the initial state is specified. Due to the time reversal invariance, the time evolution of a given initial state at t=0 does not have a time-arrow. These problems have been extensively studied by E. C. G. Sudarshan and collaborators, including myself. Here the survival probability, which is the square of the survival amplitude, is an even function of t. Using the survival amplitude as a common framework, we discuss Zeno effects in several processes: the decay of an unstable particle, pion productions in proton-nucleus collisions and the Aharonov-Vardi effect which is another manifestation of the Zeno effect.
The survival probability of a quantum state encodes essential information concerning the decay rate of quantum particles and is the primary object for investigating the time–energy uncertainty relations and the occurrence of the quantum Zeno effect. The purpose of this article is to uncover some curious properties concerning the relations between the values of the survival probability of a quantum state at different times. These relations put surprising restrictions on the evolution pictures of quantum states, and also illustrate their peculiar intricacies.
We discuss the relation between the quantum-mechanical survival probability of an unstable system in motion and that of the system at rest. The usual definition of the survival probability which takes into account only the time evolution of an unstable system leads to a relation between the survival probability of the system in motion and that of the system at rest which is different from the standard relation based on relativistic time dilation. This approach led other authors to claim non-standard quantum-mechanical effects which are in clear contradiction with Special Relativity. We show that an appropriate relativistic definition of the survival probability which takes into account also the space evolution of an unstable system leads to the standard relation between the survival probability of the system in motion and that of the system at rest, in agreement with Special Relativity. We present a rigorous derivation of this result based on a wave packet treatment.
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.
After reviewing the description of an unstable state in the framework of nonrelativistic Quantum Mechanics (QM) and relativistic Quantum Field Theory (QFT), we consider the effect of pulsed, ideal measurements repeated at equal time intervals on the lifetime of an unstable system. In particular, we investigate the case in which the ‘bare’ survival probability is an exact exponential (a very good approximation in both QM and QFT), but the measurement apparatus can detect the decay products only in a certain energy range. We show that the Quantum Zeno Effect can occur in this framework as well.