Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:2304.08899 · Physical review. E

Chaos and localized phases in a two-body linear kicked rotor system

Anjali Nambudiripad, J. Bharathi Kannan, M. S. Santhanam

Published Mar 13, 2024• 5 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Despite the periodic kicks, a linear kicked rotor (LKR) is an integrable and exactly solvable model in which the kinetic energy term is linear in momentum. It was recently shown that spatially interacting LKRs are also integrable, and results in dynamical localization in the corresponding quantum regime. Similar localized phases exist in other nonintegrable models such as the coupled relativistic kicked rotors. This work, using a two-body LKR, demonstrates two main results; first, it is shown that chaos can be induced in the integrable linear kicked rotor through interactions between the momenta of rotors. An analytical estimate of its Lyapunov exponent is obtained. Second, the quantum dynamics of this chaotic model, upon variation of kicking and interaction strengths, is shown to exhibit a variety of phases: classically induced localization, dynamical localization, subdiffusive, and diffusive phases. We point out the signatures of these phases from the perspective of entanglement production in this system. By defining an effective Hilbert space dimension, the entanglement growth rate can be understood using appropriate random matrix averages.

DOI
10.1103/physreve.109.034206

Related papers

Dynamical localization of coupled relativistic kicked rotors

Efim B. Rozenbaum, Victor M. Galitski

A periodically driven rotor is a prototypical model that exhibits a transition to chaos in the classical regime and dynamical localization (related to Anderson localization) in the quantum regime. In a recent work [Phys. Rev. B 94, 085120 (2016)], A. C. Keser et al. considered a many-body generalization of coupled quantum kicked rotors, and showed that in the special integrable linear case, dynamical localization survives interactions. By analogy with many-body localization, the phenomenon was dubbed dynamical many-body localization. In the present work, we study nonintegrable models of single and coupled quantum relativistic kicked rotors (QRKRs) that bridge the gap between the conventional quadratic rotors and the integrable linear models. For a single QRKR, we supplement the recent analysis of the angular-momentum-space dynamics with a study of the spin dynamics. Our analysis of two and three coupled QRKRs along with the proved localization in the many-body linear model indicate that dynamical localization exists in few-body systems. Moreover, the relation between QRKR and linear rotor models implies that dynamical many-body localization can exist in generic, nonintegrable many-body systems. And localization can generally result from a complicated interplay between Anderson mechanism and limiting integrability, since the many-body linear model is a high-angular-momentum limit of many-body QRKRs. We also analyze the dynamics of two coupled QRKRs in the highly unusual superballistic regime and find that the resonance conditions are relaxed due to interactions. Finally, we propose experimental realizations of the QRKR model in cold atoms in optical lattices.

arXiv:1602.04425•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Feb 6, 2017•44 citations

Linear and logarithmic entanglement production in an interacting chaotic system

Sanku Paul, Arnd Bäcker

We investigate entanglement growth for a pair of coupled kicked rotors. For weak coupling, the growth of the entanglement entropy is found to be initially linear followed by a logarithmic growth. We calculate analytically the time after which the entanglement entropy changes its profile, and a good agreement with the numerical result is found. We further show that the different regimes of entanglement growth are associated with different rates of energy growth displayed by a rotor. At a large time, energy grows diffusively, which is preceded by an intermediate dynamical localization. The time span of intermediate dynamical localization decreases with increasing coupling strength. We argue that the observed diffusive energy growth is the result of one rotor acting as an environment to the other, which destroys the coherence. We show that the decay of the coherence is initially exponential followed by a power law.

arXiv:2007.13604•Physical review. E•Nov 24, 2020•10 citations

From localization to anomalous diffusion in the dynamics of coupled kicked rotors

Simone Notarnicola, Fernando Iemini, Davide Rossini +3 more

We study the effect of many-body quantum interference on the dynamics of coupled periodically kicked systems whose classical dynamics is chaotic and shows an unbounded energy increase. We specifically focus on an N-coupled kicked rotors model: We find that the interplay of quantumness and interactions dramatically modifies the system dynamics, inducing a transition between energy saturation and unbounded energy increase. We discuss this phenomenon both numerically and analytically through a mapping onto an N-dimensional Anderson model. The thermodynamic limit N→∞, in particular, always shows unbounded energy growth. This dynamical delocalization is genuinely quantum and very different from the classical one: Using a mean-field approximation, we see that the system self-organizes so that the energy per site increases in time as a power law with exponent smaller than 1. This wealth of phenomena is a genuine effect of quantum interference: The classical system for N≥2 always behaves ergodically with an energy per site linearly increasing in time. Our results show that quantum mechanics can deeply alter the regularity or ergodicity properties of a many-body-driven system.

arXiv:1709.05657•Physical review. E•Feb 2, 2018•50 citations

Chaos and subdiffusion in infinite-range coupled quantum kicked rotors

Angelo Russomanno, Michele Fava, Rosario Fazio

We map the infinite-range coupled quantum kicked rotors over an infinite-range coupled interacting bosonic model. In this way we can apply exact diagonalization up to quite large system sizes and confirm that the system tends to ergodicity in the large-size limit. In the thermodynamic limit the system is described by a set of coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations equivalent to an effective nonlinear single-rotor Hamiltonian. These equations give rise to a power-law increase in time of the energy with exponent $\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\sim}2/3$ in a wide range of parameters. We explain this finding by means of a master-equation approach based on the noisy behavior of the effective nonlinear single-rotor Hamiltonian and on the Anderson localization of the single-rotor Floquet states. Furthermore, we study chaos by means of the largest Lyapunov exponent and find that it decreases towards zero for portions of the phase space with increasing momentum. Finally, we show that some stroboscopic Floquet integrals of motion of the noninteracting dynamics deviate from their initial values over a timescale related to the interaction strength according to the Nekhoroshev theorem.

arXiv:2102.07872•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Jun 1, 2021•12 citations

The Quantum Kicked Rotor: A Paradigm of Quantum Chaos. Foundational aspects and new perspectives

Giuliano Benenti, Giulio Casati, Jiangbin Gong +1 more

The kicked rotor provides a simple yet powerful model for introducing many of the central concepts of classical and quantum chaos. Despite its apparent simplicity, it exhibits rich dynamical behavior and has found applications across a wide range of fields, including atomic and optical physics, condensed matter physics, and emerging quantum technologies. This chapter begins by exploring foundational ideas using the kicked rotor as a unifying framework. We first discuss the transition from regular to chaotic motion in the classical system, and then introduce key quantum phenomena such as dynamical localization and quantum resonances. Special attention is devoted to the emergence of characteristic time scales and their role in the quantum-classical correspondence. To make these ideas more concrete, we also provide a brief overview of experimental realizations of the kicked rotor and its variants, illustrating how theoretical concepts are implemented in practice. In the second part of the chapter, we guide the reader toward more recent and advanced developments. Topics include near-resonant dynamics, topological features of kicked systems, the emergence of quantum dynamical phases inferred from classical transport properties, and extensions to non-Hermitian physics. We conclude with a discussion of open problems and future perspectives, outlining directions in which the kicked rotor continues to offer valuable insights.

quant-pharXiv:2604.12316•Apr 15, 2026•0 citations

Numerical Studies of Quantum Chaos in Various Dynamical Systems

Efim B. Rozenbaum

We study two classes of quantum phenomena associated with classical chaos in a variety of quantum models: (i) dynamical localization and its extension and generalization to interacting few- and many-body systems and (ii) quantum exponential divergences in high-order correlators and other diagnostics of quantum chaos. Dynamical localization (DL) is a subtle phenomenon related to Anderson localization. It hinges on quantum interference and is typically destroyed in presence of interactions. DL often manifests as a failure of a driven system to heat up, violating the foundations of statistical physics. Kicked rotor (KR) is a prototypical chaotic classical model that exhibits linear energy growth with time. The quantum kicked rotor (QKR) features DL instead: its energy saturates. Multiple attempts of many-body generalizations faced difficulties in preserving DL. Recently, DL was shown in a special integrable many-body model. We study non-integrable models of few- and many-body QKR-like systems and provide direct evidence that DL can persist there. In addition, we show how a novel related concept of localization landscape can be applied to study transport in rippled channels. Out-of-time-ordered correlator (OTOC) was proposed as an indicator of quantum chaos, since in the semiclassical limit, this correlator's possible exponential growth rate (CGR) resembles the classical Lyapunov exponent (LE). We show that the CGR in QKR is related, but distinct from the LE in KR. We also show a singularity in the OTOC at the Ehrenfest time tᴱ due to a delay in the onset of quantum interference. Next, we study scaling of OTOC beyond tᴱ. We then explore how the OTOC-based approach to quantum chaos relates to the random-matrix-theoretical description by introducing an operator we dub the Lyapunovian. Its level statistics is calculated for quantum stadium billiard, a seminal model of quantum chaos, and aligns perfectly with the Wigner-Dyson surmise. In the semiclassical limit, the Lyapunovian reduces to the matrix of uncorrelated finite-time Lyapunov exponents, connecting the CGR at early times, when the quantum effects are weak, to universal level repulsion that hinges on strong quantum interference. Finally, we consider quantum polygonal billiards: their classical counterparts are non-chaotic. We show exponential growth of the OTOCs in these systems, sharply contrasted with the classical behavior even before quantum interference develops.

•Jan 1, 2020•0 citations
Despite the periodic kicks, a linear kicked rotor (LKR) is an integrable and exactly solvable model in which the kinetic energy term is linear in momentum. It was recently shown that spatially interacting LKRs are also integrable, and results in dynamical localization in the corresponding quantum regime. Similar localized phases exist in other nonintegrable models such as the coupled relativistic kicked rotors. This work, using a two-body LKR, demonstrates two main results; first, it is shown that chaos can be induced in the integrable linear kicked rotor through interactions between the momenta of rotors. An analytical estimate of its Lyapunov exponent is obtained. Second, the quantum dynamics of this chaotic model, upon variation of kicking and interaction strengths, is shown to exhibit a variety of phases: classically induced localization, dynamical localization, subdiffusive, and diffusive phases. We point out the signatures of these phases from the perspective of entanglement production in this system. By defining an effective Hilbert space dimension, the entanglement growth rate can be understood using appropriate random matrix averages.
A periodically driven rotor is a prototypical model that exhibits a transition to chaos in the classical regime and dynamical localization (related to Anderson localization) in the quantum regime. In a recent work [Phys. Rev. B 94, 085120 (2016)], A. C. Keser et al. considered a many-body generalization of coupled quantum kicked rotors, and showed that in the special integrable linear case, dynamical localization survives interactions. By analogy with many-body localization, the phenomenon was dubbed dynamical many-body localization. In the present work, we study nonintegrable models of single and coupled quantum relativistic kicked rotors (QRKRs) that bridge the gap between the conventional quadratic rotors and the integrable linear models. For a single QRKR, we supplement the recent analysis of the angular-momentum-space dynamics with a study of the spin dynamics. Our analysis of two and three coupled QRKRs along with the proved localization in the many-body linear model indicate that dynamical localization exists in few-body systems. Moreover, the relation between QRKR and linear rotor models implies that dynamical many-body localization can exist in generic, nonintegrable many-body systems. And localization can generally result from a complicated interplay between Anderson mechanism and limiting integrability, since the many-body linear model is a high-angular-momentum limit of many-body QRKRs. We also analyze the dynamics of two coupled QRKRs in the highly unusual superballistic regime and find that the resonance conditions are relaxed due to interactions. Finally, we propose experimental realizations of the QRKR model in cold atoms in optical lattices.
We investigate entanglement growth for a pair of coupled kicked rotors. For weak coupling, the growth of the entanglement entropy is found to be initially linear followed by a logarithmic growth. We calculate analytically the time after which the entanglement entropy changes its profile, and a good agreement with the numerical result is found. We further show that the different regimes of entanglement growth are associated with different rates of energy growth displayed by a rotor. At a large time, energy grows diffusively, which is preceded by an intermediate dynamical localization. The time span of intermediate dynamical localization decreases with increasing coupling strength. We argue that the observed diffusive energy growth is the result of one rotor acting as an environment to the other, which destroys the coherence. We show that the decay of the coherence is initially exponential followed by a power law.
We study the effect of many-body quantum interference on the dynamics of coupled periodically kicked systems whose classical dynamics is chaotic and shows an unbounded energy increase. We specifically focus on an N-coupled kicked rotors model: We find that the interplay of quantumness and interactions dramatically modifies the system dynamics, inducing a transition between energy saturation and unbounded energy increase. We discuss this phenomenon both numerically and analytically through a mapping onto an N-dimensional Anderson model. The thermodynamic limit N→∞, in particular, always shows unbounded energy growth. This dynamical delocalization is genuinely quantum and very different from the classical one: Using a mean-field approximation, we see that the system self-organizes so that the energy per site increases in time as a power law with exponent smaller than 1. This wealth of phenomena is a genuine effect of quantum interference: The classical system for N≥2 always behaves ergodically with an energy per site linearly increasing in time. Our results show that quantum mechanics can deeply alter the regularity or ergodicity properties of a many-body-driven system.
We map the infinite-range coupled quantum kicked rotors over an infinite-range coupled interacting bosonic model. In this way we can apply exact diagonalization up to quite large system sizes and confirm that the system tends to ergodicity in the large-size limit. In the thermodynamic limit the system is described by a set of coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations equivalent to an effective nonlinear single-rotor Hamiltonian. These equations give rise to a power-law increase in time of the energy with exponent $\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\sim}2/3$ in a wide range of parameters. We explain this finding by means of a master-equation approach based on the noisy behavior of the effective nonlinear single-rotor Hamiltonian and on the Anderson localization of the single-rotor Floquet states. Furthermore, we study chaos by means of the largest Lyapunov exponent and find that it decreases towards zero for portions of the phase space with increasing momentum. Finally, we show that some stroboscopic Floquet integrals of motion of the noninteracting dynamics deviate from their initial values over a timescale related to the interaction strength according to the Nekhoroshev theorem.
The kicked rotor provides a simple yet powerful model for introducing many of the central concepts of classical and quantum chaos. Despite its apparent simplicity, it exhibits rich dynamical behavior and has found applications across a wide range of fields, including atomic and optical physics, condensed matter physics, and emerging quantum technologies. This chapter begins by exploring foundational ideas using the kicked rotor as a unifying framework. We first discuss the transition from regular to chaotic motion in the classical system, and then introduce key quantum phenomena such as dynamical localization and quantum resonances. Special attention is devoted to the emergence of characteristic time scales and their role in the quantum-classical correspondence. To make these ideas more concrete, we also provide a brief overview of experimental realizations of the kicked rotor and its variants, illustrating how theoretical concepts are implemented in practice. In the second part of the chapter, we guide the reader toward more recent and advanced developments. Topics include near-resonant dynamics, topological features of kicked systems, the emergence of quantum dynamical phases inferred from classical transport properties, and extensions to non-Hermitian physics. We conclude with a discussion of open problems and future perspectives, outlining directions in which the kicked rotor continues to offer valuable insights.
We study two classes of quantum phenomena associated with classical chaos in a variety of quantum models: (i) dynamical localization and its extension and generalization to interacting few- and many-body systems and (ii) quantum exponential divergences in high-order correlators and other diagnostics of quantum chaos. Dynamical localization (DL) is a subtle phenomenon related to Anderson localization. It hinges on quantum interference and is typically destroyed in presence of interactions. DL often manifests as a failure of a driven system to heat up, violating the foundations of statistical physics. Kicked rotor (KR) is a prototypical chaotic classical model that exhibits linear energy growth with time. The quantum kicked rotor (QKR) features DL instead: its energy saturates. Multiple attempts of many-body generalizations faced difficulties in preserving DL. Recently, DL was shown in a special integrable many-body model. We study non-integrable models of few- and many-body QKR-like systems and provide direct evidence that DL can persist there. In addition, we show how a novel related concept of localization landscape can be applied to study transport in rippled channels. Out-of-time-ordered correlator (OTOC) was proposed as an indicator of quantum chaos, since in the semiclassical limit, this correlator's possible exponential growth rate (CGR) resembles the classical Lyapunov exponent (LE). We show that the CGR in QKR is related, but distinct from the LE in KR. We also show a singularity in the OTOC at the Ehrenfest time tᴱ due to a delay in the onset of quantum interference. Next, we study scaling of OTOC beyond tᴱ. We then explore how the OTOC-based approach to quantum chaos relates to the random-matrix-theoretical description by introducing an operator we dub the Lyapunovian. Its level statistics is calculated for quantum stadium billiard, a seminal model of quantum chaos, and aligns perfectly with the Wigner-Dyson surmise. In the semiclassical limit, the Lyapunovian reduces to the matrix of uncorrelated finite-time Lyapunov exponents, connecting the CGR at early times, when the quantum effects are weak, to universal level repulsion that hinges on strong quantum interference. Finally, we consider quantum polygonal billiards: their classical counterparts are non-chaotic. We show exponential growth of the OTOCs in these systems, sharply contrasted with the classical behavior even before quantum interference develops.