Past exam of the laser science and quantum information processing course of the University of Oxford / 2015 / 5 / b / Solution

For short times, survival under unitary time evolution is $1-(\Delta H{)}^2{t}^2/{\hslash }^2+O(t^3)$. Dividing a fixed time into $N$ intervals and projecting back after each gives survival approaching one as $N\to \infty$. This suppression of departure by repeated projective measurements is the quantum Zeno effect.

For measurement-guided Zeno transfer, rotate the measured basis gradually to transport a known state. LetMeasure in these orthonormal bases successively for $j=1,\dots ,N$. Starting in $|0⟩=|b_0⟩$, the probability to follow the $b_j$ outcome at every step isIts final state is $|b_N⟩=|1⟩$. If every outcome is retained without postselection, the final probability for $|1⟩$ is $[1+{\cos }^N(\pi /N)]/2$, also approaching one; histories with two switches can return to that branch. These two finite-$N$ probabilities should not be confused.

For a general unknown input, the same slowly turning measurements first resolve its amplitudes into the two branches, then drag each branch separately. In the large-$N$ limit, after discarding the records,The first basis approaches the computational one as $N$ grows. Inserting an initial computational measurement makes this branch decomposition exact at the outset, without changing the limiting result. Relative phase is lost, so this procedure transports a known basis state with high probability rather than implementing a coherent Pauli X gate on an arbitrary qubit.