Quantum trajectory method for the quantum Zeno and anti-Zeno effects

Abstract

We perform stochastic simulations of the quantum Zeno and anti-Zeno effects for a two-level system and for a decaying one. Instead of a simple projection postulate approach, a more realistic model of a detector interacting with the environment is used. The influence of the environment is taken into account using the quantum trajectory method. Simulation of the measurement for a single system exhibits probabilistic behavior showing the collapse of the wave packet. When a large ensemble is analyzed using the quantum trajectory method, the results are the same as those produced using the density matrix method. The results of numerical calculations are compared with the analytical expressions for the decay rate of the measured system, and good agreement is found. Since the analytical expressions depend on the duration of the measurement only, the agreement with the numerical calculations shows that other parameters of the model are not important.