  Quantum mechanics predicts that our physical reality is influenced by events
that can potentially happen but factually do not occur. Interaction-free
measurements (IFMs) exploit this counterintuitive influence to detect the
presence of an object without requiring any interaction with it. Here we
propose and realize an IFM concept based on an unstable many-particle system.
In our experiments, we employ an ultracold gas in an unstable spin
configuration which can undergo a rapid decay. The object - realized by a laser
beam - prevents this decay due to the indirect quantum Zeno effect and thus,
its presence can be detected without interacting with a single atom. Contrary
to existing proposals, our IFM does not require single-particle sources and is
only weakly affected by losses and decoherence. We demonstrate confidence
levels of 90%, well beyond previous optical experiments.
