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arXiv:quant-ph/0308162

Intrinsic Decoherence and Irreversibility in the Quasiperiodic Kicked Rotor

A. C. Sicardi Shifino, Gonzalo Abal, R. Siri, A. Romanelli, R. Donangelo

Published Aug 28, 2003• 4 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We show that some classically chaotic quantum systems uncoupled from noisy environments may generate intrinsic decoherence with all its associated effects. In particular, we have observed time irreversibility and high sensitivity to small perturbations in the initial conditions in a quasiperiodic version of the kicked rotor. The existence of simple quantum systems with intrinsic decoherence clarifies the quantum--classical correspondence in chaotic systems.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.quant-ph/0308162

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We show that some classically chaotic quantum systems uncoupled from noisy environments may generate intrinsic decoherence with all its associated effects. In particular, we have observed time irreversibility and high sensitivity to small perturbations in the initial conditions in a quasiperiodic version of the kicked rotor. The existence of simple quantum systems with intrinsic decoherence clarifies the quantum--classical correspondence in chaotic systems.
Decoherence in quantum systems which are classically chaotic is studied. The Arnold cat map and the quantum kicked rotor are chosen as examples of linear and nonlinear chaotic systems. The Feynman-Vernon influence functional formalism is used to study the effect of the environment on the system. It is well known that quantum coherence can obliterate chaotic behavior in the corresponding classical system. But interaction with an environment can under general circumstances quickly diminish quantum coherence and reenact classical chaotic behavior. How effectively decoherence works to sustain chaos, and how the resultant behavior qualitatively differs from the quantum picture, depending on the coupling of the system with the environment and the spectral density and temperature of the environment. We show how recurrence in the quantum cat map is lost and classical ergodicity is recovered due to the effect of the environment. Quantum coherence and diffusion suppression are instrumental to dynamical localization for the kicked rotor. We show how environment-induced effects can destroy this localization. Such effects can also be understood as resulting from external noises driving the system. Peculiar to decohering chaotic systems is the apparent transition from reversible to irreversible dynamics. We show such transitions in the quantum cat map and the kicked rotor and distinguish it from apparent irreversibility originating from dynamical instability and imprecise measurements. By performing a time reversal on and following the quantum kicked rotor dynamics numerically, we show how the otherwise reversible quantum dynamics acquires an arrow of time upon the introduction of noise or interaction with an environment.
The relation between the degree of entanglement and time scale of time-irreversible behavior is investigated for classically chaotic quantum coupled kicked rotors by comparing the entanglement entropy (EE) and the lifetime of correspondence with classical decay of correlation, which was recently introduced. Both increase on average drastically with a strong correlation when the strength of coupling between the kicked rotors exceeds a certain threshold. The EE shows an anomalously large fluctuation resembling a critical fluctuation around the threshold value of coupling strength where the entanglement sharply increases toward full entanglement. In this regime it can be shown that, although the correlation is hidden, EE and the lifetime of individual eigenfunctions also have a positive correlation that can be seen via another measure.
We investigate the quantum-classical transition of a kicked rotor (KR) under perturbation by a second one. The influence of such a chaotic KR makes decoherence of the first one, resulting in the emergence of classical diffusion from its quantum dynamics. Such quantum-classical transition persists by decreasing the effective Planck's constant ℏ, and at the same time, decreasing the mass of the second KR and the interaction strength proportionally. In the limit of ħ → 0, due to vanishing small mass and interaction, the second KR has almost no effect on the classical dynamics of the first one. We demonstrate this via two different coupling potentials.
Quantum-classical correspondence in many-dimensional quantum chaos is investigated by use of a coupled quantum kicked-rotors model. Even when the number of rotors is only two, results obtained are drastically different from those for a single-rotor system; that is, in the semiclassical limit the coupled system restores the essential features of classical chaos under appropriate conditions. In particular, the time-reversal experiment reveals that the classical chaotic mixing is recovered almost entirely; however, the recovered mixing is "conditional" in the sense that there exists a threshold for the recovery.
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.