Zeno subspaces and interaction-free evolutions with non-Hermitian Hamiltonians
Benedetto Militello, Anna Napoli
Abstract
Effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonians describing decaying systems are considered and analyzed in connection with the occurrence of possible Hilbert space partitioning. This fact can be interpreted as Zeno effect or Zeno dynamics, according to the dimension of the subspace one focuses on. Depending on the complex phases of the diagonal terms of the Hamiltonian, the system reacts in different ways, requiring larger moduli for the Zeno phenomena to occur when the complex phase is close to $\pi/2$. Unperturbed dynamics are also shown to persist in some especial conditions where interaction-free subspaces are present.