No Arabic abstract
Repeated measurements of a quantum particle to check its presence in a region of space was proposed long ago [G. R. Allcock, Ann. Phys. {bf 53}, 286 (1969)] as a natural way to determine the distribution of times of arrival at the orthogonal subspace, but the method was discarded because of the quantum Zeno effect: in the limit of very frequent measurements the wave function is reflected and remains in the original subspace. We show that by normalizing the small bits of arriving (removed) norm, an ideal time distribution emerges in correspondence with a classical local-kinetic-energy distribution.
A relation is found between pulsed measurements of the excited state probability of a two-level atom illuminated by a driving laser, and a continuous measurement by a second laser coupling the excited state to a third state which decays rapidly and irreversibly. We find the time between pulses to achieve the same average detection time than a given continuous measurement in strong, weak, or intermediate coupling regimes, generalizing the results in L. S. Schulman, Phys. Rev. A 57, 1509 (1998).
It is well known that the quantum Zeno effect can protect specific quantum states from decoherence by using projective measurements. Here we combine the theory of weak measurements with stabilizer quantum error correction and detection codes. We derive rigorous performance bounds which demonstrate that the Zeno effect can be used to protect appropriately encoded arbitrary states to arbitrary accuracy, while at the same time allowing for universal quantum computation or quantum control.
The evolution of a quantum system is supposed to be impeded by measurement of an involved observable. This effect has been proven indistinguishable from the effect of dephasing the systems wave function, except in an individual quantum system. The coherent dynamics, on an optical E2 line, of a single trapped ion driven by light of negligible phase drift has been alternated with interrogations of the internal ion state. Retardation of the ions nutation, equivalent to the quantum Zeno effect, is demonstrated in the statistics of sequences of probe-light scattering on and off detections, the latter representing back-action-free measurement.
A quantum system being observed evolves more slowly. This `quantum Zeno effect is reviewed with respect to a previous attempt of demonstration, and to subsequent criticism of the significance of the findings. A recent experiment on an {it individual} cold trapped ion has been capable of revealing the micro-state of this quantum system, such that the effect of measurement is indeed discriminated from dephasing of the quantum state by either the meter or the environment.
The analysis of the model quantum clocks proposed by Aharonov et al. [Phys. Rev. A 57 (1998) 4130 - quant-ph/9709031] requires considering evanescent components, previously ignored. We also clarify the meaning of the operational time of arrival distribution which had been investigated.