Classical Zeno dynamics in the light emitted by an extended, partially coherent source

Abstract

We provide theoretical and experimental evidence of a classical-optics realization of quantum Zeno dynamics. In contrast to other approaches, the classical implementation is extremely simple and adaptable. Frequently monitoring the transverse spreading of the light emitted by an extended source results in a nontrivial dynamics where spreading and all other transverse effects associated with light propagation as the increase of spatial coherence tends to be inhibited. This is fully equivalent to a quantum Zeno dynamics where monitoring whether a quantum free particle at rest remains in a spatial interval causes inhibition of the quantum-state evolution, including the degree of purity.