Anomalous Zeno effect for sharply localized atomic states

Abstract

We analyze the nonquadratic in time Zeno effect which arises when a few-atom state initially trapped between two high laser-induced barriers is briefly released to free evolution. We identify the Zeno time, analyze the energy distributions of those atoms which have escaped and those that remained inside the trap, and obtain a simple relation between the survival and nonescape probabilities. The relevant time scales are such that the effect would be observable for the atomic species used in current laser experiments.