Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

The quantum Zeno paradox, 42 years on

Published

Author(s)

Wayne M. Itano

Abstract

The term 'quantum Zeno paradox' or 'quantum Zeno effect' refers to the slowing down of the evolution of a quantum system as it is observed more and more frequently. In 1977, Misra and Sudarshan gave a theoretical demonstration of its existence. There has been disagreement regarding the definition of the effect and whether it is really a paradox, requiring new physics, or a consequence of ordinary quantum mechanics. The experiment of Itano, Heinzen, Bollinger and Wineland, published in 1990, is the one most often called a demonstration of the quantum Zeno effect. Some different interpretations are discussed.
Citation
Current Science

Keywords

ion storage, quantum mechanics, Zeno effect

Citation

Itano, W. (2019), The quantum Zeno paradox, 42 years on, Current Science (Accessed June 26, 2024)

Issues

If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact reflib@nist.gov.

Created January 25, 2019, Updated June 6, 2024