Progress of Theoretical Physics Supplement
Experimental Test of the Trace Formula by Balian and Duplantier
C. Dembowski, Barbara Dietz, H.-D. Gräf, A. Heine, T. Papenbrock, A. Richter, C. Richter
Abstract
Trace formulas provide a direct relation between the eigenvalues of a given quantum system and the properties of the periodic orbits of its classical counterpart. About 25 years ago, Balian and Duplantier derived a trace formula for the resonance density of three-dimensional chaotic microwave cavities. We will present the first experimental test of this semiclassical approximation performed with a microwave cavity of the shape of a three-dimensional Bunimovich billiard.