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The Review of Laser Engineering

Recent Progress in Quantum Optics. Quantum Zeno Effects in Optics.

Masao Kitano, Keisaku Yamane

Published Jan 1, 2000• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The quantum Zeno effect (QZE) is seemingly paradoxical in a sense that an inhibition of transition or a guidance of system can be realized without loss of probability amplitudes in spite of the use of non-unitary processes. But it is quite universal and has been found in various quantum systems as well as in classical wave systems. In this report we will present two examples of QZE in the field of optics . One is theoptical pumping scheme in which atomic spin motion can be controlled without photon absorption in the fast pumping limit. The other example is the light propagation through a series of offset-spliced fibers . Two propagation modes, wave and ray, are possible in optical fibers, and QZE is found to occur only in the former mode.

DOI
10.2184/lsj.28.650

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The quantum Zeno effect (QZE) is seemingly paradoxical in a sense that an inhibition of transition or a guidance of system can be realized without loss of probability amplitudes in spite of the use of non-unitary processes. But it is quite universal and has been found in various quantum systems as well as in classical wave systems. In this report we will present two examples of QZE in the field of optics . One is theoptical pumping scheme in which atomic spin motion can be controlled without photon absorption in the fast pumping limit. The other example is the light propagation through a series of offset-spliced fibers . Two propagation modes, wave and ray, are possible in optical fibers, and QZE is found to occur only in the former mode.
Abstract : All-optical switching is crucial for efficient optical communications. The quantum Zeno effect can be used to induce or inhibit optical switching through a variety of processes, all of which share the common characteristic that the evolution of one quantum state into another be inhibited or induced based on the presence or absence of a controllable and continuous quantum measurement. By utilizing this effect, it is the goal of this project to design and construct ultra-low power dissipation, ultra-low volume, fast all-optical switches. In particular, a fundamental limit in existing all-optical switching devices is due to the photon loss resulting from signal-pump coupling. When extended to the quantum domain, this photon loss additionally causes the quantum states of photonic signals to collapse (i.e., decohere). By using the quantum Zeno effect (QZE), it is possible to realize interaction-free switching that eliminates direct signal-pump coupling i.e., QZE for all-optical switching.
Reiterated or continuous measurement on a quantum system impedes the quantum object's evolution. This "quantum Zeno" effect (QZE), contemplated for decades, has been conventionally attributed to the reaction of the measuring device on the quantum object being measured, in the sense of the Heisenberg microscope. However, even reactionless "quantum non-demolition" measurements seem to qualify for that inhibition to take place and may constitute a "quantum Zeno paradox" (QZP). An experimental proof of QZE had been attempted in the past on clouds of ions confined in a Paul trap. In the meantime it has been shown, however, that the anticipated impediment of the quantum evolution by a sheer gain of information, i.e. by reactionless measurement cannot be, in principle, proven with an ensemble. Recently, experiments have been performed with the use of a single quantum system: an 172Yb+ ion, laser-driven on its E2 line S1/2 - D5/2, or an 171Yb+ ion, microwave-driven on its ground-state hyperfine resonance. The results of these experiments demonstrate that mere gain of information on the quantum system, while lacking dynamic action, modifies the system's evolution as it is predicted by quantum mechanics, based on the system's preparation. This seems plausible if we attribute reality to the results of the measurements. If, in contrast, reality is claimed for the prediction, two-fold discontinuity must be admitted: loss of coherence with potential measurements, and renormalization from the results of actual measurements.
The quantum Zeno effect (QZE) introduced by Misra and Sudarshan consists in the ability of repeated measurements to inhibit or slow down unitary evolution. Its fundamental status in quantum mechanics has long been firmly established, but its much broader context, in-depth understanding and its applications are growing at a faster pace than ever before. Over the years, there have been several pivotal developments that have made the QZE and related effects the basic paradigms underlying the control of evolution in quantum systems:
Summary form only given. The quantum Zeno effect (QZE) is the striking possibility of inhibiting the decay of an unstable quantum state by sufficiently frequent measurements. This effect is currently believed to be universal, even though it has only been observed for oscillations between discrete states. Recently we showed that both the QZE and the inverse (anti-) Zeno effect (AZE) can be observed on spontaneous decay in cavities. We develop a general theory of evolution of quantum systems in the presence of frequent measurements. We consider both the ideal case of instantaneous projections of the wave function to the initial state and some possible measurement schemes. The considerations imply the impossibility of the continuous-observation limit necessary to stop quantum evolution (the quantum Zeno paradox). Indeed, this limit leads to an unbounded increase of the energy fluctuations of the system, which would cause the system to disintegrate. The present theory describes different measurement effects, including the QZE and AZE, and allows us to obtain the general criteria of their validity. In particular, we show that the AZE, rather than the QZE, is achievable for spontaneous decay of atoms in free space.