Quantum Zeno Effect for Exponentially Decaying Systems

Abstract

The quantum Zeno effect -- suppression of decay by frequent measurements -- was believed to occur only when the response of the detector is so quick that the initial tiny deviation from the exponential decay law is detectable. However, we show that it can occur even for exactly exponentially decaying systems, for which this condition is never satisfied, by considering a realistic case where the detector has a finite energy band of detection. The conventional theories correspond to the limit of an infinite bandwidth. This implies that the Zeno effect occurs more widely than expected so far.

4 pages, 3 figures

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Cited by in corpus (10)

• Quantum Zeno effect by general measurements
• Optical Signatures of Non-Markovian Behaviour in Open Quantum Systems
• Long-range entanglement generation via frequent measurements
• Impossibility of distant indirect measurement of the quantum Zeno effect
• On unitary evolution and collapse in Quantum Mechanics
• Pulsed and continuous measurements of exponentially decaying systems
• Zeno and Anti Zeno effect for a two level system in a squeezed bath
• Quantum Zeno effect by indirect measurement: The effect of the detector
• Driving-induced population trapping and linewidth narrowing via the quantum Zeno effect
• Nonclassical correlations in decaying systems