5 pages, 4 figures (4 .eps files); for the proceedings of the 5th International Summer School/Conference in Maribor 2002: Let's Face Chaos through Nonlinear Dynamics
We study Wigner function value statistics of classically chaotic quantum maps on compact 2D phase space. We show that the Wigner function statistics of a random state is a Gaussian, with the mean value becoming negligible compared to the width in the semi-classical limit. Using numerical example of quantized sawtooth map we demonstrate that the relaxation of time-dependent Wigner function statistics, starting from a coherent initial state, takes place on a logarithmically short log (hbar) time scale.
Just as a coherent state may be considered as a quantum point, its restriction to a factor space of the full Hilbert space can be interpreted as a quantum plane. The overlap of such a factor coherent state with a full pure state is akin to a quantum section. It defines a reduced pure state in the cofactor Hilbert space. The collection of all the Wigner functions corresponding to a full set of parallel quantum sections defines the Husimi-Wigner reresentation. It occupies an intermediate ground between drastic suppression of nonclassical features, characteristic of Husimi functions, and the daun…
We have studied statistical properties of the values of the Wigner function W(x) of 1D quantum maps on compact 2D phase space of finite area V. For this purpose we have defined a Wigner function probability distribution P(w) = (1/V) int delta(w-W(x)) dx, which has, by definition, fixed first and second moment. In particular, we concentrate on relaxation of time evolving quantum state in terms of W(x), starting from a coherent state. We have shown that for a classically chaotic quantum counterpart the distribution P(w) in the semi-classical limit becomes a Gaussian distribution that is fully de…
Within the random matrix theory approach to quantum scattering, we derive the distribution of the Wigner-Smith time delay matrix $\mathcal{Q}$ for a chaotic cavity with uniform absorption, coupled via $N$ perfect channels. In the unitary class $β=2$ we obtain a compact expression for the distribution of the full matrix in terms of a matrix integral. In the other symmetry classes we derive the joint distribution of the eigenvalues. We show how the large $N$ properties of this distribution can be analysed in terms of two interacting Coulomb gases living on two different supports. As an applicati…
Although highly successful, the Truncated Wigner Approximation (TWA) does not account for genuine many-body quantum interference between different solutions of the mean-field equations of a bosonic many-body (MB) system. This renders the TWA essentially classical, where a large number of particles formally takes the role of the inverse of Planck's constant $\hbar$. The failure to describe genuine interference phenomena, such as localization and scarring in Fock space, can be seen as a virtue of this quasiclassical method, which thereby allows one to identify genuine quantum effects when being …
We study the classical chaos appearing in a diatomic molecules $BeO$, $CO$ and $CN$ due to the interaction with a circularly polarized electric field, and its signature in Quantum Mechanics through the Wigner distribution function and the Boltzmann-Shannon entropy. We found a motion out of the center of the quantum phase space defined by Wigner function when the classical system becomes chaotic, and we found a jumping behavior of the average Boltzmann-Shannon entropy with respect the electric field strength when the classical system becomes chaotic, indicating a sudden increasing in the disord…
We consider wave propagation in a complex structure coupled to a finite number $N$ of scattering channels, such as chaotic cavities or quantum dots with external leads. Temporal aspects of the scattering process are analysed through the concept of time delays, related to the energy (or frequency) derivative of the scattering matrix $\mathcal{S}$. We develop a random matrix approach to study the statistical properties of the symmetrised Wigner-Smith time-delay matrix $\mathcal{Q}_s=-\mathrm{i}\hbar\,\mathcal{S}^{-1/2}\big(\partial_\varepsilon\mathcal{S}\big)\,\mathcal{S}^{-1/2}$, and obtain the…
In classical mechanics the local exponential instability effaces the memory of initial conditions and leads to practical irreversibility. In striking contrast, quantum mechanics appears to exhibit strong memory of the initial state. We relate the latter fact to the low (at most linear) rate with which the system's Wigner function gets during evolution more and more complicated structure and establish existence of a critical strength of external influence below which such a memory still survives.
An initial coherent state is propagated exactly by a kicked quantum Hamiltonian and its associated classical stroboscopic map. The classical trajectories within the initial state are regular for low kicking strengths, then bifurcate and become mainly chaotic as the kicking parameter is increased. Time-evolution is tracked using classical, quantum and semiclassical Wigner functions, obtained via the Herman-Kluk propagator. Quantitative comparisons are also included and carried out from probability marginals and autocorrelation functions. Sub-Planckian classical structure such as small stability…
We outline formal and physical similarities between the quantum dynamics of open systems, and the mesoscopic description of classical systems affected by weak noise. The main tool of our interest is the dissipative Wigner equation, that, for suitable timescales, becomes analogous to the Fokker-Planck equation describing classical advection and diffusion. This correspondence allows in principle to surmise a finite resolution, other than the Planck scale, for the quantized state space of the open system, particularly meaningful when the latter underlies chaotic classical dynamics. We provide rep…
The work distribution is a fundamental quantity in nonequilibrium thermodynamics mainly due to its connection with fluctuations theorems. Here we develop a semiclassical approximation to the work distribution for a quench process in chaotic systems. The approach is based on the dephasing representation of the quantum Loschmidt echo and on the quantum ergodic conjecture, which states that the Wigner function of a typical eigenstate of a classically chaotic Hamiltonian is equidistributed on the energy shell. We show that our semiclassical approximation is accurate in describing the quantum distr…
The prediction of the response of a closed system to external perturbations is one of the central problems in quantum mechanics, and in this respect, the local density of states (LDOS) provides an in- depth description of such a response. The LDOS is the distribution of the overlaps squared connecting the set of eigenfunctions with the perturbed one. Here, we show that in the case of closed systems with classically chaotic dynamics, the LDOS is a Breit-Wigner distribution under very general perturbations of arbitrary high intensity. Consequently, we derive a semiclassical expression for the wi…
We elucidate the basic physical mechanisms responsible for the quantum-classical transition in one-dimensional, bounded chaotic systems subject to unconditioned environmental interactions. We show that such a transition occurs due to the dual role of noise in regularizing the semiclassical Wigner function and averaging over fine structures in classical phase space. The results are interpreted in the novel context of applying recent advances in the theory of measurement and open systems to the semiclassical quantum regime. We use these methods to show how a local semiclassical picture is stabil…
We discuss the behavior of fidelity for a classically chaotic quantum system in the metallic regime. We show the existence of a critical value of the perturbation below which the exponential decay of fidelity is determined by the width of the Breit-Wigner distribution and above which the quantum decay follows the classical one which is ruled by the Lyapunov exponent. The independence of the decay {\it rate} from the perturbation strength derives from the similarity of the quantum and classical relaxation process inside the Heisenberg time scale.
An analysis of the semiclassical regime of the quantum-classical transition is given for open, bounded, one dimensional chaotic dynamical systems. Environmental fluctuations -- characteristic of all realistic dynamical systems -- suppress the development of fine structure in classical phase space and damp nonlocal contributions to the semiclassical Wigner function which would otherwise invalidate the approximation. This dual regularization of the singular nature of the semiclassical limit is demonstrated by a numerical investigation of the chaotic Duffing oscillator.
In the large-$N$, classical limit, the Bose-Hubbard dimer undergoes a transition to chaos when its tunnelling rate is modulated in time. We use exact and approximate numerical simulations to determine the features of the dynamically evolving state that are correlated with the presence of chaos in the classical limit. We propose the statistical distance between initially similar number distributions as a reliable measure to distinguish regular from chaotic behaviour in the quantum dynamics. Besides being experimentally accessible, number distributions can be efficiently reconstructed numericall…
We study the quantum mechanics of a billiard (Robnik 1983) in the regime of mixed-type classical phase space (the shape parameter λ=0.15) at very high-lying eigenstates, starting at about 1.000.000th eigenstate and including the consecutive 587654 eigenstates. By calculating the normalized Poincaré Husimi functions of the eigenstates and comparing them with the classical phase space structure, we introduce the overlap criterion which enables us to separate with great accuracy and reliability the regular and chaotic eigenstates, and the corresponding energies. The chaotic eigenstates appear all…
We demonstrate that the energy or quasienergy level spacing distribution in dynamically localized chaotic eigenstates is excellently described by the Brody distribution, displaying the fractional power law level repulsion. This we show in two paradigmatic systems, namely for the fully chaotic eigenstates of the kicked rotator at K=7, and for the chaotic eigenstates in the mixed-type billiard system (Robnik 1983), after separating the regular and chaotic eigenstates by means of the Poincaré Husimi function, at very high energies with great statistical significance (587654 eigenstates, starting …
We propose the Wigner separability entropy as a measure of complexity of a quantum state. This quantity measures the number of terms that effectively contribute to the Schmidt decomposition of the Wigner function with respect to a chosen phase space decomposition. We prove that the Wigner separability entropy is equal to the operator space entanglement entropy, measuring entanglement in the space of operators, and, for pure states, to twice the entropy of entanglement. The quantum to classical correspondence between the Wigner separability entropy and the separability entropy of the classical …
We calculate the atomic (spin) Wigner function for the single mode Dicke model in the regime of large number of two-level atoms. The dynamics of this quasi-probability function on the Bloch sphere allows us to visualize the consequences of the entanglement process between the boson and the spin subsystems. Such investigation shows a distinct localization behavior of the spin state with respect to the polar and azimuthal Bloch sphere angles. A complete {\em breakdown of reflection symmetry} in the azimuthal angle is shown in the non-integrable case, even at short evolution times. Also, in the c…
We consider the quantum evolution of classically chaotic systems in contact with surroundings. Based on $\hbar$-scaling of an equation for time evolution of the Wigner's quasi-probability distribution function in presence of dissipation and thermal diffusion we derive a semiclassical equation for quantum fluctuations. This identifies an early regime of evolution dominated by fluctuations in the curvature of the potential due to classical chaos and dissipation. A stochastic treatment of this classical fluctuations leads us to a Fokker-Planck equation which is reminiscent of Kramers' equation fo…
We introduce a single-channel opening in a random Hamiltonian and a quantized chaotic map: localization on the opening occurs as a sensible deviation of the wavefunction statistics from the predictions of random matrix theory, even in the semiclassical limit. Increasing the coupling to the open channel in the quantum model, we observe a similar picture to resonance trapping, made of few fast-decaying states, whose left (right) eigenfunctions are entirely localized on the (preimage of the) opening, and plentiful long-lived states, whose probability density is instead suppressed at the opening. …
We present a family of methods, which can describe behaviour of quantum ensembles and demonstrate the creation of nontrivial (meta) stable states (patterns), localized, chaotic, entangled or decoherent from basic localized modes in collective models arising from the quantum hierarchy of Wigner-von Neumann-Moyal equations.
We present an experimental realisation of the direct scheme for measuring the Wigner function of a single quantized light mode. In this method, the Wigner function is determined as the expectation value of the photon number parity operator for the phase space displaced quantum state.
This article is an introductory review of random matrix theory (RMT) and its applications, with special focus on quantum chaos. Random matrices were first used by Wigner to understand the spectra of complex nuclei from a statistical perspective. Subsequently there have been novel applications to diverse areas, e.g., atomic and molecular physics, mesoscopic and nanoscopic systems, microwave cavities, econophysics, biological sciences, communication theory. This article is designed to be accessible at the graduate and post-doctoral level.
We consider the general Wigner function for a particle confined to a finite interval and subject to Dirichlet boundary conditions. We derive the boundary corrections to the "star-genvalue" equation and to the time evolution equation. These corrections can be cast in the form of a boundary potential contributing to the total Hamiltonian which together with a subsidiary boundary condition is responsible for the discretization of the energy levels. We show that a completely analogous formulation (in terms of boundary potentials) is also possible in standard operator quantum mechanics and that the…
In this letter, we demonstrate that a non-Hermitian Random Matrix description can account for both spectral and spatial statistics of resonance states in a weakly open chaotic wave system with continuously distributed losses. More specifically, the statistics of resonance states in an open 2D chaotic microwave cavity are investigated by solving the Maxwell equations with lossy boundaries subject to Ohmic dissipation. We successfully compare the statistics of its complex-valued resonance states and associated widths with analytical predictions based on a non-Hermitian effective Hamiltonian mode…
Using linear invariant operators in a constructive way we find the most general thermal density operator and Wigner function for time-dependent generalized oscillators. The general Wigner function has five free parameters and describes the thermal Wigner function about a classical trajectory in phase space. The contour of the Wigner function depicts an elliptical orbit with a constant area moving about the classical trajectory, whose eccentricity determines the squeezing of the initial vacuum.
We report the experimental point-by-point sampling of the Wigner function for nonclassical states created in an ultrafast pulsed type-II parametric down-conversion source. We use a loss-tolerant time-multiplexed detector based on a fiber-optical setup and a pair of photon-number-resolving avalanche photodiodes. By capitalizing on an expedient data-pattern tomography, we assess the properties of the light states with outstanding accuracy. The method allows us to reliably infer the squeezing of genuine two-mode states without any phase reference.
An exact analytical description of extreme intensity statistics in complex random states is derived. These states have the statistical properties of the Gaussian and Circular Unitary Ensemble eigenstates of random matrix theory. Although the components are correlated by the normalization constraint, it is still possible to derive compact formulae for all values of the dimensionality N. The maximum intensity result slowly approaches the Gumbel distribution even though the variables are bounded, whereas the minimum intensity result rapidly approaches the Weibull distribution. Since random matrix…
Distributions of eigenmodes are widely concerned in both bounded and open systems. In the realm of chaos, counting resonances can characterize the underlying dynamics (regular vs. chaotic), and is often instrumental to identify classical-to-quantum correspondence. Here, we study, both theoretically and experimentally, the statistics of chaotic resonances in an optical microcavity with a mixed phase space of both regular and chaotic dynamics. Information on the number of chaotic modes is extracted by counting regular modes, which couple to the former via dynamical tunneling. The experimental da…
We study statistical properties of excited levels of the E x (b_1+b_2) Jahn-Teller model. The multitude of avoided crossings of energy levels is generally claimed to be a testimony of quantum chaos. We found that apart from two limiting cases (E x e and Holstein model) the distribution of nearest-neighbor spacings is rather stable as to the change of parameters and different from the Wigner one. This limiting distribution assumably shows scaling ~$\sqrt{S}$ at small S and resembles the semi-Poisson law P(S)= 4S \exp (-2 S) at S> 1. The latter is believed to be universal and characteristic, e.g…
We present a semiclassical approach to eigenfunction statistics in chaotic and weakly disordered quantum systems which goes beyond Random Matrix Theory, supersymmetry techniques, and existing semiclassical methods. The approach is based on a generalization of Berry's Random Wave Model, combined with a consistent semiclassical representation of spatial two-point correlations. We derive closed expressions for arbitrary wavefunction averages in terms of universal coefficients and sums over classical paths, which contain, besides the supersymmetry results, novel oscillatory contributions. Their ph…
We investigate the connection between sub-Planck structure in the Wigner function and the output fidelity of continuous-variable teleportation protocols. When the teleporting parties share a two-mode squeezed state as an entangled resource, high fidelity in the output state requires a squeezing large enough that the smallest sub-Planck structures in an input pure state are teleported faithfully. We formulate this relationship, which leads to an explicit relation between the fine-scale structure in the Wigner function and large-scale extent of the Wigner function, and we treat specific examples…
Phase space reflection operators lie at the core of the Wigner-Weyl representation of density operators and observables. The role of the corresponding classical reflections is known in the construction of semiclassical approximations to Wigner functions of pure eigenstates and their coarsegrained microcanonical superpositions, which are not restricted to classically integrable systems. In their active role as unitary operators, they generate transitions between pairs of eigenstates specified by transition Wigner functions (or cross-Wigner functions): The square modulus of the transition Wigner…
We study the dynamics of a three-mode bosonic system with mode-changing interactions. For large mode occupations the short-time dynamics is well described by classical mean-field equations allowing us to study chaotic dynamics in the classical system and its signatures in the corresponding quantum dynamics. By introducing a symmetry-breaking term we tune the classical dynamics from integrable to strongly chaotic which we demonstrate by calculating Poincaré sections and Lyapunov exponents. The corresponding quantum system features level statistics that change from Poissonian in the integrable t…
In this paper we give an overview over some aspects of the modern mathematical theory of Ruelle resonances for chaotic, i.e. uniformly hyperbolic, dynamical systems and their implications in physics. First we recall recent developments in the mathematical theory of resonances, in particular how invariant Ruelle distributions arise as residues of weighted zeta functions. Then we derive a correspondence between weighted and semiclassical zeta functions in the setting of negatively curved surfaces. Combining this with results of Hilgert, Guillarmou and Weich yields a high frequency interpretation…
The Wigner function is a useful tool for exploring the transition between quantum and classical dynamics, as well as the behavior of quantum chaotic systems. Evolving the Wigner function for open systems has proved challenging however; a variety of methods have been devised but suffer from being cumbersome and resource intensive. Here we present an efficient fast-Fourier method for evolving the Wigner function, that has a complexity of $O(N\log N)$ where $N$ is the size of the array storing the Wigner function. The efficiency, stability, and simplicity of this method allows us to simulate open…
In this paper, the purity of quantum states is applied to probe chaotic dissipative dynamics. To achieve this goal, a comparative analysis of regular and chaotic regimes of nonlinear dissipative oscillator (NDO) are performed on the base of excitation number and the purity of oscillatory states. While the chaotic regime is identified in our semiclassical approach by means of strange attractors in Poincaré section and with the Lyapunov exponent, the state in the quantum regime is treated via the Wigner function. Specifically, interesting quantum purity effects that accompany the chaotic dynamic…
We investigate the capabilities of loss-tolerant quantum state characterization using a photon-number resolving, time-multiplexed detector (TMD). We employ the idea of probing the Wigner function point-by-point in phase space via photon parity measurements and displacement operations, replacing the conventional homodyne tomography. Our emphasis lies on reconstructing the Wigner function of non-Gaussian Fock states with highly negative values in a scheme that is based on a realistic experimental setup. In order to establish the concept of loss-tolerance for state characterization we show how lo…
We study nonlinear phenomena of bistability and chaos at a level of few quanta. For this purpose we consider a single-mode dissipative oscillator with strong Kerr nonlinearity with respect to dissipation rate driven by a monochromatic force as well as by a train of Gaussian pulses. The quantum effects and decoherence in oscillatory mode are investigated on the framework of the purity of states and the Wigner functions calculated from the master equation. We demonstrate the quantum chaotic regime by means of a comparison between the contour plots of the Wigner functions and the strange attracto…
We derive the photocount statistics of the radiation emitted from a chaotic laser resonator in the regime of single-mode lasing. Random spatial variations of the resonator eigenfunctions lead to strong mode-to-mode fluctuations of the laser emission. The distribution of the mean photocount over an ensemble of modes changes qualitatively at the lasing transition, and displays up to three peaks above the lasing threshold.
It is standard to assume that the Wigner distribution of a mixed quantum state consisting of square-integrable functions is a quasi-probability distribution, that is that its integral is one and that the marginal properties are satisfied. However this is in general not true. We introduce a class of quantum states for which this property is satisfied, these states are dubbed "Feichtinger states" because they are defined in terms of a class of functional spaces (modulation spaces) introduced in the 1980's by H. Feichtinger. The properties of these states are studied, which gives us the opportuni…
In spite of their potential usefulness, the characterizations of Wigner functions for Bose and Fermi statistics given by O'Connell and Wigner himself almost thirty years ago has drawn little attention. With an eye towards applications in quantum chemistry, we revisit and reformulate them in a more convenient way.
Although highly successful, the truncated Wigner approximation (TWA) leaves out many-body quantum interference between mean-field Gross-Pitaevskii solutions as well as other quantum effects, and is therefore essentially classical. Turned around, this implies that if a system's quantum properties deviate from TWA, they must be exhibiting some quantum phenomenon, such as localization, diffraction, or tunneling. Here, we consider in detail a particular interference effect arising from discrete symmetries, which can lead to a significant enhancement of quantum observables with respect to the TWA p…
Highly degenerate chaotic radiation has a Gaussian density matrix and a large occupation number of modes $f $. If it is passed through a weakly transmitting barrier, its counting statistics is close to Poissonian. We show that a second identical barrier, in series with the first, drastically modifies the statistics. The variance of the photocount is increased above the mean by a factor $f$ times a numerical coefficient. The photocount distribution reaches a limiting form with a Gaussian body and highly asymmetric tails. These are general consequences of the combination of weak transmission and…
