What does an observed quantum system reveal to its observer ?

Abstract

The evolution of a quantum system under observation becomes retarded or even impeded. We review this ``quantum Zeno effect'' in the light of the criticism that has been raised upon a previous attempt to demonstrate it, of later reexaminations of both the projection postulate and the significance of the observations, and of the results of a recent experiment on an individual cold atom. Here, the micro-state of the quantum system gets unveiled with the observation, and the effect of measurement is no longer mixed up with dephasing the object's wave function by the reactive effect of the detection. A procedure is outlined that promises to provide, by observation, an upper limit for the delay of even an exponential decay.

9 pages, 4 figures. Published version: Section VII sligthly changed

Cited by in corpus (18)

• Quantum Zeno dynamics: mathematical and physical aspects
• Quantum Zeno dynamics of a field in a cavity
• Quantum Zeno dynamics and quantum Zeno subspaces
• Integral Biomathics: A Post-Newtonian View into the Logos of Bios (On the New Meaning, Relations and Principles of Life in Science)
• A relaxationless demonstration of the Quantum Zeno Paradox on an individual atom
• Using the Quantum Zeno Effect for Suppression of Decoherence
• Quantum Zeno effect with a superconducting qubit
• Average Entanglement for Markovian Quantum Trajectories
• Quantum measurements without macroscopic superpositions
• Total Quantum Zeno effect and Intelligent States for a two level system in a squeezed bath
• Survival law in a potential model
• Quantum Zeno Effect in Cavity QED: Experimental Proposal with Non Ideal Cavities and Detectors
• Quantum Trajectory method for the Quantum Zeno and anti-Zeno effects
• Complete Resolution of the Quantum Zeno Paradox for Outside Observers
• Quantum Zeno effect in a multilevel molecule
• Quantum Zeno Dynamics of Two Interacting Particles
• Total Quantum Zeno Effect beyond Zeno Time
• Higher-order Zeno sequences