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5 Quantum Zeno effect by general measurements

Kazuki Koshino, Akira Shimizu

Published Nov 19, 2004• 136 citations

Abstract

It was predicted that frequently repeated measurements on an unstable state may alter the decay rate of the state. This is called the quantum Zeno effect (QZE) or the anti-Zeno effect (AZE), depending on whether the decay is suppressed or enhanced. In conventional theories of the QZE and AZE, effects of measurements are simply described by the projection postulate, assuming that each measurement is an instantaneous and ideal one. However, real measurements are not instantaneous and ideal. For the QZE and AZE by such general measurements, interesting and surprising features have recently been revealed, which we review in this article. The results are based on the quantum measurement theory, which is also reviewed briefly. As a typical model, we consider a continuous measurement of the decay of an excited atom by a photodetector that detects a photon emitted from the atom upon decay. This measurement is an indirect negative-result one, for which the curiosity of the QZE and AZE is emphasized. It is shown that the form factor is renormalized as a backaction of the measurement, through which the decay dynamics is modified. In a special case of the flat response, where the detector responds to every photon mode with an identical response time, results of the conventional theories are reproduced qualitatively. However, drastic differences emerge in general cases where the detector responds only to limited photon modes. For example, against predictions of the conventional theories, the QZE or AZE may take place even for states that exactly follow the exponential decay law. We also discuss relation to the cavity quantum electrodynamics.

Related papers

When can measurements inhibit decay?

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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.

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Frequent observations accelerate decay: The anti-Zeno effect

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The quantum Zeno effect (QZE) is the striking prediction that the decay of any unstable quantum state can be inhibited by sufficiently frequent observations (measurements). The consensus opinion has upheld the QZE as a general feature of quantum mechanics, which should lead to the inhibition of any decay. The claim of QZE generality hinges on the assumption that successive observations can in principle be made at time intervals too short for the system to change appreciably. However, this assumption and the generality of the QZE have scarcely been investigated thus far. We have addressed these issues by showing that (i) the QZE is principally unattainable in radiative or radioactive decay, because the required measurement rates would cause the system to disintegrate; (ii) decay acceleration by frequent measurements (the anti-Zeno effect -- AZE) is much more ubiquitous than its inhibition. The AZE is shown to be observable as the enhancement of tunneling rates (e.g., for atoms trapped in ramped-up potentials or in current-swept Josephson junctions), fluorescence rates (e.g., for Rydberg atoms perturbed by noisy optical fields) and photon depolarization rates (in randomly modulated Pockels cells).

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The traditional approach to the quantum Zeno effect (QZE) and quantum anti-Zeno effect (QAZE) in open quantum systems (implicitly) assumes that the bath (environment) state returns to its original state after each instantaneous projective measurement on the system and thus ignores the cross-correlations of the bath operators between different Zeno intervals. However, this assumption is not generally true, especially for a bath with a considerably nonnegligible memory effect and for a system repeatedly projected into an initial general superposition state. We find that, in stark contrast to the result of a constant value found in the traditional approach, the scaled average decay rate in unit Zeno interval of the survival probability is generally time dependent or shows an oscillatory behavior. In the case of a strong bath correlation, the transition between the QZE and the QAZE depends sensitively on the number of measurements $N$. For a fixed $N$, a QZE region predicted by the traditional approach may in fact already be in the QAZE region. We illustrate our findings using an exactly solvable open qubit system model with a Lorentzian bath spectral density, which is directly related to realistic circuit cavity quantum electrodynamics systems. Thus the results and dynamics presented here can be verified with current superconducting circuit technology.

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In a strange dream, Henry is coherently transported towards his bride down the aisle. But just as a small portion of him arrives next to her, that portion disappears in a flash of light caused by a snapshot! Henry keeps trying to be united with his bride, but repeated snapshots cause Henry’s collapse to being far away from her. This dream illustrates the quantum Zeno effect (QZE): if a measurement collapses the quantum state with high probability to the initial state, then frequent repeated measurements can almost stop the change of the quantum state. Yet less frequent measurements cause the opposite, anti-Zeno effect (AZE), whereby change or decay increases. Thus, decay is controllable. These effects confirm Zeno’s argument that change is an illusion, as it is up to the observer to prevent or induce it by appropriate observation. The appendix to this chapter explains the QZE for coherent and decay processes.

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Dynamics of Quantum Zeno and Anti-Zeno Effects in Open System

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We provide a general dynamical approach for the quantum Zeno and anti-Zeno effects in an open quantum system under repeated non-demolition measurements. In our approach the repeated measurements are described by a general dynamical model without the wave function collapse postulation. Based on that model, we further study both the short-time and long-time evolutions of the open quantum system under repeated non-demolition measurements, and derive the measurement-modified decay rates of the excited state. In the cases with frequent ideal measurements at zero-temperature, we re-obtain the same decay rate as that from the wave function collapse postulation (Nature {\bf 405}, 546 (2000)). The correction to the ideal decay rate is also obtained under the non-ideal measurements. Especially, we find that the quantum Zeno and anti-Zeno effects are possibly {\it enhanced} by the non-ideal natures of measurements. For the open system under measurements with arbitrary period, we generally derive the rate equation for the long-time evolution for the cases with {\it arbitrary} temperature and noise spectrum, and show that in the long-time evolution the noise spectrum is effectively tuned by the repeated measurements. Our approach is also able to describe the quantum Zeno and anti-Zeno effects given by the phase modulation pulses, as well as the relevant quantum control schemes.

arXiv:1104.4640•Apr 24, 2011•0 citations

It was predicted that frequently repeated measurements on an unstable state may alter the decay rate of the state. This is called the quantum Zeno effect (QZE) or the anti-Zeno effect (AZE), depending on whether the decay is suppressed or enhanced. In conventional theories of the QZE and AZE, effects of measurements are simply described by the projection postulate, assuming that each measurement is an instantaneous and ideal one. However, real measurements are not instantaneous and ideal. For the QZE and AZE by such general measurements, interesting and surprising features have recently been revealed, which we review in this article. The results are based on the quantum measurement theory, which is also reviewed briefly. As a typical model, we consider a continuous measurement of the decay of an excited atom by a photodetector that detects a photon emitted from the atom upon decay. This measurement is an indirect negative-result one, for which the curiosity of the QZE and AZE is emphasized. It is shown that the form factor is renormalized as a backaction of the measurement, through which the decay dynamics is modified. In a special case of the flat response, where the detector responds to every photon mode with an identical response time, results of the conventional theories are reproduced qualitatively. However, drastic differences emerge in general cases where the detector responds only to limited photon modes. For example, against predictions of the conventional theories, the QZE or AZE may take place even for states that exactly follow the exponential decay law. We also discuss relation to the cavity quantum electrodynamics.

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.

The quantum Zeno effect (QZE) is the striking prediction that the decay of any unstable quantum state can be inhibited by sufficiently frequent observations (measurements). The consensus opinion has upheld the QZE as a general feature of quantum mechanics, which should lead to the inhibition of any decay. The claim of QZE generality hinges on the assumption that successive observations can in principle be made at time intervals too short for the system to change appreciably. However, this assumption and the generality of the QZE have scarcely been investigated thus far. We have addressed these issues by showing that (i) the QZE is principally unattainable in radiative or radioactive decay, because the required measurement rates would cause the system to disintegrate; (ii) decay acceleration by frequent measurements (the anti-Zeno effect -- AZE) is much more ubiquitous than its inhibition. The AZE is shown to be observable as the enhancement of tunneling rates (e.g., for atoms trapped in ramped-up potentials or in current-swept Josephson junctions), fluorescence rates (e.g., for Rydberg atoms perturbed by noisy optical fields) and photon depolarization rates (in randomly modulated Pockels cells).

The traditional approach to the quantum Zeno effect (QZE) and quantum anti-Zeno effect (QAZE) in open quantum systems (implicitly) assumes that the bath (environment) state returns to its original state after each instantaneous projective measurement on the system and thus ignores the cross-correlations of the bath operators between different Zeno intervals. However, this assumption is not generally true, especially for a bath with a considerably nonnegligible memory effect and for a system repeatedly projected into an initial general superposition state. We find that, in stark contrast to the result of a constant value found in the traditional approach, the scaled average decay rate in unit Zeno interval of the survival probability is generally time dependent or shows an oscillatory behavior. In the case of a strong bath correlation, the transition between the QZE and the QAZE depends sensitively on the number of measurements

N

. For a fixed

N

, a QZE region predicted by the traditional approach may in fact already be in the QAZE region. We illustrate our findings using an exactly solvable open qubit system model with a Lorentzian bath spectral density, which is directly related to realistic circuit cavity quantum electrodynamics systems. Thus the results and dynamics presented here can be verified with current superconducting circuit technology.

In a strange dream, Henry is coherently transported towards his bride down the aisle. But just as a small portion of him arrives next to her, that portion disappears in a flash of light caused by a snapshot! Henry keeps trying to be united with his bride, but repeated snapshots cause Henry’s collapse to being far away from her. This dream illustrates the quantum Zeno effect (QZE): if a measurement collapses the quantum state with high probability to the initial state, then frequent repeated measurements can almost stop the change of the quantum state. Yet less frequent measurements cause the opposite, anti-Zeno effect (AZE), whereby change or decay increases. Thus, decay is controllable. These effects confirm Zeno’s argument that change is an illusion, as it is up to the observer to prevent or induce it by appropriate observation. The appendix to this chapter explains the QZE for coherent and decay processes.

We provide a general dynamical approach for the quantum Zeno and anti-Zeno effects in an open quantum system under repeated non-demolition measurements. In our approach the repeated measurements are described by a general dynamical model without the wave function collapse postulation. Based on that model, we further study both the short-time and long-time evolutions of the open quantum system under repeated non-demolition measurements, and derive the measurement-modified decay rates of the excited state. In the cases with frequent ideal measurements at zero-temperature, we re-obtain the same decay rate as that from the wave function collapse postulation (Nature {\bf 405}, 546 (2000)). The correction to the ideal decay rate is also obtained under the non-ideal measurements. Especially, we find that the quantum Zeno and anti-Zeno effects are possibly {\it enhanced} by the non-ideal natures of measurements. For the open system under measurements with arbitrary period, we generally derive the rate equation for the long-time evolution for the cases with {\it arbitrary} temperature and noise spectrum, and show that in the long-time evolution the noise spectrum is effectively tuned by the repeated measurements. Our approach is also able to describe the quantum Zeno and anti-Zeno effects given by the phase modulation pulses, as well as the relevant quantum control schemes.