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arXiv:chao-dyn/9809013 · Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics

Scar and antiscar quantum effects in open chaotic systems

Lev Kaplan

Published May 1, 1999• 22 citations

Abstract

We predict and numerically observe strong periodic orbit effects in the properties of weakly open quantum systems with a chaotic classical limit. Antiscars lead to a large number of exponentially narrow isolated resonances when the single-channel (or tunneling) opening is located on a short unstable orbit of the closed system; the probability to remain in the system at long times is thus exponentially enhanced over the random matrix theory prediction. The distribution of resonance widths and the probability to remain are quantitatively given in terms of only the stability matrix of the orbit on which the opening is placed. The long-time remaining probability density is nontrivially distributed over the available phase space; it can be enhanced or suppressed near orbits other than the one on which the lead is located, depending on the periods and classical actions of these other orbits. These effects of the short periodic orbits on quantum decay rates have no classical counterpart, and first appear on times scales much larger than the Heisenberg time of the system. All the predictions are quantitatively compared with numerical data.

DOI: 10.1103/physreve.59.5325

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We predict and numerically observe strong periodic orbit effects in the properties of weakly open quantum systems with a chaotic classical limit. Antiscars lead to a large number of exponentially narrow isolated resonances when the single-channel (or tunneling) opening is located on a short unstable orbit of the closed system; the probability to remain in the system at long times is thus exponentially enhanced over the random matrix theory prediction. The distribution of resonance widths and the probability to remain are quantitatively given in terms of only the stability matrix of the orbit on which the opening is placed. The long-time remaining probability density is nontrivially distributed over the available phase space; it can be enhanced or suppressed near orbits other than the one on which the lead is located, depending on the periods and classical actions of these other orbits. These effects of the short periodic orbits on quantum decay rates have no classical counterpart, and first appear on times scales much larger than the Heisenberg time of the system. All the predictions are quantitatively compared with numerical data.

We review recent progress in attaining a quantitative understanding of the scarring phenomenon, the non-random behaviour of quantum wavefunctions near unstable periodic orbits of a classically chaotic system. The wavepacket dynamics framework leads to predictions about statistical long-time and stationary properties of quantum systems with chaotic classical analogues. Many long-time quantum properties can be quantitatively understood using only short-time classical dynamics information; these include wavefunction intensity distributions, intensity correlations in phase space and correlations between wavefunctions, and distributions of decay rates and conductance peaks in weakly open systems. Strong deviations from random matrix theory are predicted and observed in the presence of short unstable periodic orbits.

Chaos plays a crucial role in numerous natural phenomena, but its quantum nature has remained large elusive. One intriguing quantum-chaotic phenomenon is the scarring of a single-particle wavefunction, where the quantum probability density is enhanced in the vicinity of a classical periodic orbit. These quantum scars illustrate the quantum suppression of classical chaos, offering a unique way to explore the classical-quantum relationship beyond conventional limits. In this study, we establish an ergodicity theorem for slacking a group of adjacent eigenstates, revealing the aspect of antiscarring -- the reduction of probability density along a periodic orbit generating the corresponding scars. We thereafter apply these two concepts to variational scars in a disordered quantum well, and finally discuss their broader implications, suggesting potential experimental approaches to observe this phenomenon.

We reveal a feature of quantum scarring in systems with many particles: quantum scars, living densely near an unstable periodic orbit, must be compensated by corresponding antiscarred states suppressed there to establish the uniformity of the whole. The uniformity of the underlying phase space is linked to early-time dynamics---a regime beyond the predictions of random matrix theory and encapsulated in the eigenstate stacking theorem. By extending the domain of the stacking theorem, we apply our theory to a chaotic spinor Bose-Einstein condensate, whose quantum scar dynamics have recently been observed in the laboratory. Our work uncovers how scarring of some eigenstates affects the rest of the chaotic and thermal spectrum in quantum systems with many particles.

Unstable periodic orbits act as organizing structures for classical chaotic systems and underpin quantum scarring. Long known in single-particle systems, genuine quantum scars based on unstable periodic orbits have been recently extended to isolated many-body systems for time-independent Hamiltonians. Their fate under periodic driving, however, remains largely uncharted, challenged by the expectation that these systems should in general heat to infinite temperature. Here, we investigate how genuine scarring competes with the drive in a Floquet many-body system. Using chaotic spin chains, we demonstrate that Floquet states remain scarred in the high-frequency limit. Beyond this static correspondence, we uncover additional, driving-induced Floquet scars with no static analog. We construct a rich dynamical stability diagram with intermediate-frequency regimes of enhanced and quenched scarring, which we understand with a classical analysis of the Lyapunov exponent. Our results position Floquet systems as a natural platform for tuning the scarring behavior of quantum many-body systems.

Quantum many-body scars (QMBSs) represent a weak ergodicity-breaking phenomenon that defies the common scenario of thermalization in closed quantum systems. They are often regarded as a many-body analog of quantum scars (QSs)—a single-particle phenomenon in quantum chaos—due to their superficial similarities. However, unlike QSs, a clear connection between QMBSs and classical chaos has remained elusive. It has nevertheless been speculated that in an appropriate semiclassical limit, QMBSs should have a correspondence to weakly unstable periodic orbits. In this paper, I present a counterexample to this conjecture by studying a bosonic model with a large number of flavors. The dynamics of out-of-time-ordered correlators (OTOCs) suggest that QMBS do not display chaotic behavior in the semiclassical limit. In contrast, chaotic dynamics are expected for initial states not associated with QMBS. Interestingly, the anomalous OTOC dynamics persist even under weak perturbations that eliminate the scarred eigenstates, suggesting a certain robustness in the phenomenon.