'Zeno effect' verified: Atoms won't move while you watch

[etienne_marais]

The researchers demonstrated that they were able to suppress quantum tunneling merely by observing the atoms. This so-called “Quantum Zeno effect,” named for a Greek philosopher, derives from a proposal in 1977 by E.C. George Sudarshan and Baidyanath Misra at the University of Texas, Austin, who pointed out that the weird nature of quantum measurements allows, in principle, for a quantum system to be “frozen” by repeated measurements.

http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2015/10/zeno-effect-verified-atoms-wont-move-while-you-watch

 

[Jola]

Kettle also doesn't boil while you watch it

 

[Ninja'd]

So the world's smallest game of red light, green light.

 

[Ho3n3r]

So the world's smallest game of red light, green light.

Lol. Now I'm gonna have Limp Bizkit/Snoop dog in my head for the rest of the day.

 

[saor]

The researchers observed the atoms under a microscope by illuminating them with a separate imaging laser. A light microscope can’t see individual atoms, but the imaging laser causes them to fluoresce, and the microscope captured the flashes of light. When the imaging laser was off, or turned on only dimly, the atoms tunneled freely. But as the imaging beam was made brighter and measurements made more frequently, the tunneling reduced dramatically.

How do they rule out the possibility that a higher cascade of photons ('brighter imaging beam') isn't affecting the electron in a way that reduces it's likelihood / ability to continue tunneling? Their act of watching = more interaction with the thing they're observing (atoms).

 

[news]

This is exactly what happens when Kiwi's observe their sheep...

 

[Solarion]

Like watching paint dry?

 

[WaxLyrical]

Kind of like deafness when your wife is talking