DYNAMICAL QUANTUM ZENO EFFECT

A purely dynamical explanation for the quantum Zeno effect is proposed. It is argued that a quantum system undergoes a quantum-Zeno-type dynamics as a consequence of a particular type of evolution involving a series of frequent spectral decompositions. The role of quantum measurements and of the collapse of the wave function is investigated and it is clarified that, provided a final observation is performed, the dynamical quantum Zeno effect can be obtained without making use of von Neumanns projection postulate. The meaning of infinitely frequent measurements is critically discussed and it is argued that it should be regarded as a mathematical idealization, impossible to realize from a physical point of view. © 1994 The American Physical Society.