Observation of the Quantum Zeno Effect on a Single Solid State Spin

The quantum Zeno effect, i.e. the inhibition of coherent quantum dynamics by projective measurements is one of the most intriguing predictions of quantum mechanics. Here we experimentally demonstrate the quantum Zeno effect by inhibiting the microwave driven coherent spin dynamics between two ground state spin levels of the nitrogen vacancy center in diamond nano-crystals. Our experiments are supported by a detailed analysis of the population dynamics via a semi-classical model.