Abstract

We show that the optical quantum Zeno effect^[1] can be explained in the framework of optical coherent transients with a strong perturbation. If the interaction of the optical transition with the measuring device is strong and frequent, the atomic coherent transients enter the motional narrowing regime. In this explanation of the quantum Zeno effect the notion of the collapse of the wave function is never required. In order to inhibit optical transitions we need to perturb strongly the coherent evolution by a measuring device. We provide several models of coherent transients influenced by strong and frequent perturbations of the measuring device. Each of these models can lead to the inhibition of the optical transition i. e., to the quantum Zeno effect. All these dynamical models are unitary and do not require the notion of the collapse of the wave function.^[2-3]

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