A general framework for the Quantum Zeno and anti-Zeno effects.

ABSTRACT: Repeated measurements can slow down (the quantum Zeno effect) or speed up (the quantum anti-Zeno effect) the temporal evolution of a quantum system. In this paper, a general treatment of the quantum Zeno and anti-Zeno effects is presented which is valid for an arbitrary system-environment model in the weak system-environment coupling regime. It is shown that the effective lifetime of a quantum state that is subjected to repeated projective measurements depends on the overlap of the spectral density of the environment and a generalized 'filter function'. This filter function depends on the system-environment Hamiltonian, the state of the environment, and the measurement being performed. Our general framework is then used to study explicitly the Zeno to anti-Zeno crossover behaviour for the

SUBMITTER: Chaudhry AZ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4942788 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature