Quantum Zeno - Inverse Quantum Zeno Considerations in Unstable Systems

We consider the temporal evolution of an unstable quantum mechanical system. These systems have a short time region in which the decay is not exponential and for which frequent measurements of the initial states lead to delays in the decay time. The phenomenon is commonly known as the quantum Zeno effect. However, under certain conditions, frequent measurements during this short quadratic time interval can also result in an enhancement in the decay time. An effect known as the inverse quantum Zeno effect. We investigate conditions for extended measurements to optimize the desired total effective decoherence.