Classical limit of the quantum Zeno effect by environmental decoherence

Numerical study of zeno and anti-zeno effects in a local potential model

A metastable atomic level can be tendered unstable in a controllable way by coupling it to a decaying state. In this work we carry out a full dynamical analysis of the Zeno effect in this kind of unstable systems, comparing it to the inhibition of purely coherent Rabi oscillations. Simple and experimentally feasible measuring strategies involving three atomic levels are considered. It is shown that this induced decay is actually an example of a partial Zeno effect so that the observed evolution results from the competition of two Zeno effects. We also show that a three-level scheme can display both coherent, incoherent, and anti-Zeno effects.

The evolution of a quantum system subjected to infinitely many measurements in a finite time interval is confined in a proper subspace of the Hilbert space. This phenomenon is called ‘quantum Zeno effect’: a particle under intensive observation which does not evolve. This effect is at variance with the classical evolution, which obviously is not affected by any observations. By a semiclassical analysis, we will show that the quantum Zeno effect vanishes at all orders, when the Planck constant tends to zero, and thus it is a purely quantum phenomenon without classical analog, at the same level of tunneling.

We investigate the long time evolution of a qubit coupled to an intrinsic bath and a single mode field which is coupled with a cavity bath, with and without repetitive measurements. We also analyze the measurement-modified decay rate, which shows that the free decay rate does not necessarily exist in some systems. The free decay rate is widely used to distinguish the quantum Zeno effect and anti-Zeno effect (AZE). It indicates that one cannot always make that clear if a decay of a system is accelerated. Our model confirms this conclusion; it shows that the AZE is not a universal concept.

We discuss the appearance of Zeno or anti-Zeno effects in an exponentially decaying system. We consider the quantum dynamics of a continuously monitored two level system interacting with a squeezed bath. We find that the behavior of the system depends critically on the way in which the squeezed bath is prepared. For specific choices of the squeezing phase the system shows Zeno or anti-Zeno effects in conditions for which it would decay exponentially if no measurements were done. This result allows for a clear interpretation in terms of the equivalent spin system interacting with a fictitious magnetic field.

A scheme is proposed to estimate the decay rates of the subsystem in an atom–cavity-optomechanical system which also is known as the hybrid optomechanical system. Quantum Fisher information and quantum Zeno effect (QZE) are investigated under different conditions. The results show that the estimation precision of the decay rates can reach $$9.64\times 10^{-6}$$ , $$3.49\times 10^{-4}$$ and $$7.91\times 10^{-5}$$ , respectively. The Zeno–anti-Zeno crossover can be realized in the hybrid optomechanical system. We find that both QZE and quantum anti-Zeno effect (QAZE) are always beneficial to the estimation of the mechanical oscillator decay rate. However, when the cavity decay rate is estimated, QAZE may enhance or inhibit the estimation precision at the different time regions. The results provide some potential applications in quantum networks and quantum Zeno switch.

We study the quantum Zeno effect (QZE) and quantum anti-Zeno effect (QAZE) of a two-level system interacting with an environment of harmonic oscillators, the spin-boson model. By applying a numerically exact method based on matrix product states, the previously obtained picture on the influence of counter-rotating terms has to be modified: For physical bath initial states, the transition from QZE to QAZE with increasing measurement interval is only absent at weak coupling, while present at strong coupling. Furthermore, we find that the transition occurs always for the widely used bare bath initial state. Within a more realistic measurement scheme where only the qubit is projectively measured, the above scenario for the bare bath initial state remains qualitatively unchanged, apart from accelerated decay for intermediate measurement intervals.

Danko Georgiev has published a series of papers that claim that the Quantum Zeno Effect that I employ in my explanation of how our minds are able to influence our actions is nullifies by environmental decoherence effects. I give here a simple proof that environmental decoherence does not nullify the quantum Zeno effect.

An example of constrained unitary quantum dynamics in the context of trapped ions is given. We study a laser driven four-level ion system confined in an isotropic three-dimensional Paul microtrap. Our main result is that when two independent controllable continuous measurement processes are simultaneously present, the unitary quantum dynamics of the system can be parametrically frozen into a one-dimensional Hilbert subspace (Quantum Zeno Effect) or constrained into a two-dimensional one, at will. Conditions under which one of the two processes acts upon the physical system inhibiting the effects due to the other one, are explicitly found and discussed (Hierarchically Controlled Dynamics).

The feasibility of efficient population transfer between an initial state and a decaying target state of the same parity without populating an intermediate state, in the presence of large-amplitude stochastic energy level fluctuations that mimic the dephasing in a solute molecule due to the influence of a solvent, is demonstrated theoretically. In particular, it is shown that a decaying target state, whose decay rate constant is large compared with the band width of picosecond laser pulses but small compared with the associated peak Rabi frequencies, can dramatically suppress the dephasing-induced nonadiabaticity associated with the dynamics of population transfer, resulting in, irrespective of the correlation time of stochastic energy level fluctuations, negligible population in the intermediate state and complete population transfer to the decaying target state. These results should further motivate experimental studies of optical control of molecular dynamics in a liquid. An interesting connection between our results and the quantum Zeno and anti-Zeno effects is also discussed.

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We study the Zeno and anti-Zeno effects in a superconducting qubit interacting strongly and ultrastrongly with a microwave resonator. Using a model of a frequently measured two-level system interacting with a quantized mode, we show different behaviors and total control of the Zeno times depending on whether the rotating-wave approximation can be applied in the Jaynes-Cummings model, or not. We exemplify showing the strong dependence of our results with the properties of the initial field states and suggest applications for quantum tomography.

We introduce unique class of cyclic quantum thermal machines (QTMs) which can maximize their performance at the finite value of cycle duration τ where they are most irreversible. These QTMs are based on single-stroke thermodynamic cycles realized by the non-equilibrium steady state (NESS) of the so-called Periodically Refreshed Baths (PReB) process. We find that such QTMs can interpolate between standard collisional QTMs, which consider repeated interactions with single-site environments, and autonomous QTMs operated by simultaneous coupling to multiple macroscopic baths. We discuss the physical realization of such processes and show that their implementation requires a finite number of copies of the baths. Interestingly, maximizing performance by operating in the most irreversible point as a function of τ comes at the cost of increasing the complexity of realizing such a regime, the latter quantified by the increase in the number of copies of baths required. We demonstrate this physics considering a simple example. We also introduce an elegant description of the PReB process for Gaussian systems in terms of a discrete-time Lyapunov equation. Further, our analysis also reveals interesting connections with Zeno and anti-Zeno effects.

Quantum decay in renormalizable field theories: Quasiparticle formation, Zeno and anti-Zeno effects

In the frames of classical mechanics the generalized Langevin equation is derived for an arbitrary mechanical subsystem coupled to the harmonic bath of a solid. A time-acting temperature operator is introduced for the quantum Klein-Kramers and Smoluchowski equations, accounting for the effect of the quantum thermal bath oscillators. The model of Brownian emitters is theoretically studied and the relevant evolutionary equations for the probability density are derived. The Schrodinger equation is explained via collisions of the target point particles with the quantum force carriers, transmitting the fundamental interactions between the point particles. Thus, electrons and other point particles are no waves and the wavy chapter of quantum mechanics originated for the force carriers. A stochastic Lorentz-Langevin equation is proposed to describe the underlaying Brownian-like motion of the point particles in quantum mechanics. Considering the Brownian dynamics in the frames of the Bohmian mechanics, the density functional Bohm-Langevin equation is proposed, and the relevant Smoluchowski-Bohm equation is derived. A nonlinear master equation is proposed by proper quantization of the classical Klein-Kramers equation. Its equilibrium solution in the exact canonical Gibbs density operator, while the well-known Caldeira-Leggett equation is simply a linearization at high temperature. In the case of a free quantum Brownian particles, a new law for the spreading of the wave packet it discovered, which represents the quantum generalization of the classical Einstein law of Brownian motion. A new projector operator is proposed for the collapse of the wave function of a quantum particle moving in a classical environment. Its application results in dissipative Schrodinger equations, as well as in a new form of dissipative Liouville equation in classical mechanics.