kelly0303
- 573
- 33
Assume I prepare a linear superposition ##\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}(|g>+|e>)## between a ground and excited level for a large number of "atoms" (it can by any multilevel system, not necessarily an atom). We can assume that the lifetime of the excited level is long enough to allow us to create this superposition, but it is not infinite. Assume also that the excited state can decay to many other levels, beside ##|g>##, such that the probability of ##|e>## decaying back to ##|g>## is negligible for the purpose of this question. If I wait for a time much longer than the lifetime of the excited state (the ground state is stable), will I find half of my initially prepared "atoms" in ##|g>## and the other spread among the other levels, or will all the "atoms" decay to the other levels? Thank you!