A simple model of quantum trajectories

Quantum trajectory theory, developed largely in the quantum optics community to describe open quantum systems subjected to continuous monitoring, has applications in many areas of quantum physics. I present a simple model, using two-level quantum systems (q-bits), to illustrate the essential physics of quantum trajectories and how different monitoring schemes correspond to different unravelings of a mixed state master equation. I also comment briefly on the relationship of the theory to the consistent histories formalism and to spontaneous collapse models. (C) 2002 American Association of Physics Teachers.