QUANTUM ZENO EFFECT

Frequent measurement freezes quantum evolution — watching a quantum state collapses it

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State

|ψ⟩ = |0⟩
P(|0⟩) = 1.000
P(|1⟩) = 0.000
Meas: 0

About

A qubit undergoes Rabi oscillations: |0⟩ → |1⟩ → |0⟩... driven by frequency Ω.

The Quantum Zeno effect: each measurement collapses the state. If |0⟩ is found, evolution restarts. With frequent measurement, the qubit is perpetually reset — evolution is frozen.

Survival probability: P(|0⟩,t) = cos²(Ωt). After n measurements at interval τ: P = cos²ⁿ(Ωτ) → 1 as τ → 0.

The anti-Zeno effect occurs at intermediate rates — measurement can actually accelerate decay.