Hamiltonian flows, short-time propagators and the quantum Zeno effect

Abstract

In a recent paper we have examined the short-time propagator for the Schrödinger equation of a point source. An accurate expression modulo Δt2 for the propagator showed that it was independent of the quantum potential implying that the quantum motion is classical for very short times. In this paper we apply these results to the experiment of Itano, Heinzen, Bollinger and Wineland which demonstrates the quantum Zeno effect in beryllium. We show that the transition is inhibited because the applied continuous wave radiation suppresses the quantum potential necessary for the transition to occur. This shows there is no need to appeal to wave function collapse. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.