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BIOPHYSICS

On the Influence of Observation of the Processes in Quantum Systems: Is it Possible to Determine an Observer Effect in Biological Systems?

Vladimir A. Namiot, Ljudmila Yu. Shchurova

Published Sep 1, 2018• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract—The issue of how observation of a process in quantum mechanics may influence its outcome is described by case studies of quantum emission by a two-level system and the passage of a particle through a potential barrier. In the first case, the observation can reduce the probability of quantum emission by the two-level system (the quantum Zeno effect). In the second case, the observation of a particle can significantly increase the probability for a particle to pass through a barrier, sometimes even by many orders of magnitude (the barrier anti-Zeno effect). The possibility of such effects in biological systems is discussed.

DOI
10.1134/s0006350918050202

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American Journal of Modern Physics•Jan 1, 2018•0 citations
Abstract—The issue of how observation of a process in quantum mechanics may influence its outcome is described by case studies of quantum emission by a two-level system and the passage of a particle through a potential barrier. In the first case, the observation can reduce the probability of quantum emission by the two-level system (the quantum Zeno effect). In the second case, the observation of a particle can significantly increase the probability for a particle to pass through a barrier, sometimes even by many orders of magnitude (the barrier anti-Zeno effect). The possibility of such effects in biological systems is discussed.
It is known that in quantum mechanics the act of observing the experiment can affect the experimental findings in some cases. In particular, it happens under the so-called Zeno effect. In this work it is shown that in contrast to the "standard" Zeno-effect where the act of observing a process reduces the probability of its reality, an inverse situation when a particle transmits through a potential barrier (a so-called barrier anti-Zeno effect) can be observed, the observation of the particle essentially increases the probability of its transmission through the barrier. The possibility of using the barrier anti-Zeno effect is discussed to explain paradoxical results of experiments on "cold nuclear fusion" observed in various systems including biological ones. (According to the observers who performed the observations, the energy generation, which could not be explained by any chemical processes, as well as the change in the isotope and even element composition of the studied object may occur in these systems.
It is known that in quantum mechanics the observation of an experiment may in some cases change the results of this experiment. In particular, this occurs for the so-called Zeno effect. It is shown that, unlike the standard Zeno effect for which observation reduces its probability, for a particle that penetrates a potential barrier the opposite situation (called the barrier anti-Zeno effect) can occur, i.e., observation can considerably increase the probability of barrier penetration. The possibility of utilizing the barrier anti-Zeno effect for explaining the paradoxical results of experiments on “cold nuclear fusion” that have been observed in various, including biological, systems is discussed. (According to the experimentalists who performed such studies, in these systems energy release that cannot be explained by any chemical processes, as well as changes of the isotope and even elemental composition of the studied substance, occur).
A simple model of indirect pre-measurements on an unstable quantum state is presented in this paper. The model is completely solvable and the solutions are used to compare the time evolution of the unstable state with and without the influence of the pre-measurement. We find that by choosing the details of the process of pre-measurement appropriately, it is possible to observe both suppression and enhancement of the rate of decay of the unstable state. When the pre-measurements are assumed to lead on to actual measurements, we see that the quantum Zeno effect, and in some instances the 'anti-Zeno' effect, can be produced by repeating the measurement many times in succession. The Zeno effect can appear in our model either as a real consequence of repeated measurements or sometimes merely as an artefact of the manner in which the observations on the system are performed. The anti-Zeno effect appears almost exclusively as an artefact of the details of the measurement. Numerical investigations are included to delineate the regimes in which the quantum Zeno effect and possibly the anti-Zeno effect can occur.
We examine the appearance of Zeno and anti-Zeno effects when the unitary evolution of a two-level system is observed. We demonstrate that, contrary to previous claims, the anti-Zeno effect can occur in two-level systems so that the observation can enhance the transition probability. Moreover, for nonresonant couplings we show that the Zeno and anti-Zeno effects always appear sequentially in the evolution of the same system: there is Zeno effect in the short-time regime and anti-Zeno effect in the long-time regime.
We discuss the role of the observer in quantum mechanics. We briefly discuss various interpretations of quantum-mechanical measurement currently used in the literature. Then we point out the difficulty in deciding what occurrences should be classified as ’’observations.’’ Using the Copenhagen Interpretation, we discuss the effect of successive measurements on the decay rate of an unstable quantum system. For two types of systems, those with a small finite number of decay levels and those with a continuum or semicontinuum, we review the decay behavior, and in the latter case distinguish between: small time behavior, with survival probability falling off as t2; the intermediate region, where it varies exponentially with time; and the long-time region, where the decay is less than exponential. If we cannot define an observation, we show that only an exact exponential decay is allowed. Attempts at solutions of this difficulty are mentioned. Lastly, we take an example of a polarized beam of light passing through an optically active medium, and discuss the process of successive measurement from classical and quantum mechanical viewpoints. The two descriptions appear to differ because we are implicitly considering two different experimental arrangements. We put forward classical and quantum-mechanical descriptions of each experiment.
Quantum Zeno effect can be applied to quantum information processing，and can reveal the nature of quantum measurement. In addition, it has also many potential applications. This suggests that studying the quantum Zeno effect has great theoretical and experimental significance. In this work, the system of a two-level atom interacting with a single mode field is considered and the dynamics of the system subjected to successive projection measurements is studied, and the quantum Zeno effect is presented. Moreover, the influence of the quantum Zeno effect on atomic population inversion is discussed. Based on Schrödinger equation, the survival probability of the initial state of the two-level atom subjected to frequently repeated measurements can be obtained. The survival probability depends on the time interval between measurements. It is seen that the exponential decay of the system under slowly frequent measurements is presented instead of the naturally oscillatory process. For slowly repeated measurements the atomic population inversion and the survival probability of initial state decline rapidly at the early time and then both of them become unchanged. As the time intervals of the measurements are sufficiently short, the quantum Zeno effect occurs. These results have also shown how the measurement can inhibit the atomic population inversion.