Published June 1, 2004 | Version v1
Journal article

Zeno dynamics and constraints

  • 1. Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Bari and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, I-70126 Bari (Italy)
  • 2. Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Universita Federico II di Napoli and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Napoli, I-80126 Naples (Italy)
  • 3. Center for Theoretical Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)
  • 4. Physics Department, University of Texas at Austin, TX 78712 (United States)

Description

We investigate some examples of quantum Zeno dynamics, when a system undergoes very frequent (projective) measurements that ascertain whether it is within a given spatial region. In agreement with previously obtained results, the evolution is found to be unitary and the generator of the Zeno dynamics is the Hamiltonian with hard-wall (Dirichlet) boundary conditions. By using a new approach to this problem, this result is found to be valid in an arbitrary N-dimensional compact domain. We then propose some preliminary ideas concerning the algebra of observables in the projected region and finally look at the case of a projection onto a lower-dimensional space: in such a situation the Zeno ansatz turns out to be a procedure to impose constraints

Availability note (English)

Available online at http://stacks.iop.org/1464-4266/6/S492/job4_6_006.pdf or at the Web site for the Journal of Optics. B, Quantum and Semiclassical Optics (Print) (ISSN 1464-4266) http://www.iop.org/

Additional details

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Journal of Optics. B, Quantum and Semiclassical Optics (Print)
Journal Volume
6
Journal Issue
6
Journal Page Range
p. S492-S501
ISSN
1464-4266

INIS

Country of Publication
United Kingdom
Country of Input or Organization
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
INIS RN
35077463
Subject category
S75: CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY;
Descriptors DEI
ALGEBRA; BOUNDARY CONDITIONS; COMPACTIFICATION; DIMENSIONS; DYNAMICS; EVOLUTION; HAMILTONIANS; UNITARY SYMMETRY
Descriptors DEC
MATHEMATICAL OPERATORS; MATHEMATICS; MECHANICS; QUANTUM OPERATORS; SYMMETRY