Quantum Anti-Zeno Acceleration of a Chemical Reaction

Evidence of acceleration of a chemical reaction in a condensed phase due to the quantum anti-Zeno effect is presented by a quantum-mechanical calculation. The acceleration is caused by electronic decoherence. The mechanism clearly indicates the anti-Zeno effect and involves both delocalization of the electronic dynamics and a feedback loop by coupling to vibrations. Believed to be the first established example of the quantum anti-Zeno effect in chemistry, the observed phenomenon suggests the possibility of quantum control of chemical reactivity by choice of solvent.