Decay Control In Dissipative Quantum Systems

Introduction The "watchdog" or quantum Zeno effect (QZE) is a basic manifestation of the influence of measurements on the evolution of a quantum system. The original QZE prediction has been that irreversible decay of an excited state into an open-space reservoir can be inhibited [1], by repeated interruption of the system-reservoir coupling, which is associated with measurements (e.g., the interaction of an unstable particle with its environment on its flight through a bubble chamber) [2, 3]. However, this prediction has not been experimentally verified as yet! Instead, the interruption of Rabi oscillations and analogous forms of nearly-reversible evolution has been at the focus of interest [4--11]. Tacit assumptions have been made that the QZE is in principle attainable in open space, but is technically difficult. We have recently demonstrated [12] that the inhibition of nearly-exponential excited-state decay by the QZE in two-