Bounds and sufficient conditions in quantum Zeno effect

Abstract

When a quantum system undergoes a series of repeated measurements during its time evolution to check whether it remains in the initial state, the resulting state lifetime can decrease (the quantum Zeno effect) or increase (the quantum inverse Zeno effect) as the inter-measurement period increases. Several transitions between these two regimes may occur within the same system. A carefully chosen measurement period $τ_\ast$ (or rate $r_\ast$ in the case of a stochastic measurement protocol) brings the state lifetime to its global minimum. Here, we describe the upper and lower bounds on the optimized state lifetime, which are expressed in terms of characteristic time scales encoded in the state survival probability $P(T)$, which is assumed to decrease monotonically to zero at large $T$. In addition, we analyze the bounds on the optimal measurement periods/rates and formulate sufficient conditions for observing the inverse Zeno effect. The analysis is also extended to states with non-monotonic survival functions. The results are illustrated numerically with an example of a system of optically trapped ultra-cold atoms.