Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-14-2013

Abstract

We present a stochastic path integral formalism for continuous quantum measurement that enables the analysis of rare events using action methods. By doubling the quantum state space to a canonical phase space, we can write the joint probability density function of measurement outcomes and quantum state trajectories as a phase space path integral. Extremizing this action produces the most likely paths with boundary conditions defined by preselected and postselected states as solutions to a set of ordinary differential equations. As an application, we analyze continuous qubit measurement in detail and examine the structure of a quantum jump in the Zeno measurement regime.

Comments

This article was originally published in Physical Review A, volume 88, in 2014. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.88.042110

Peer Reviewed

1

Copyright

American Physical Society

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