F. M. Izrailev

Simple models of quantum chaos: Spectrum and eigenfunctions

Abstract The statistical properties of so-called quantum chaos are considered on the basis of the well-known model of a kicked rotator. Attention is paid mainly to the quasienergy spectrum and the structure of the eigenfunctions in the case of strong classical chaos. The influence of quantum localization effects on the statistics of the spectrum is examined for a model with a finite number of states. Both cases of maximal and of intermediate quantum chaos are studied in dependence on the degree of localization. The possible relation to other physical models is also discussed.

LOCALIZATION AND THE MOBILITY EDGE IN ONE-DIMENSIONAL POTENTIALS WITH CORRELATED DISORDER

We show that a mobility edge exists in 1D random potentials provided specific long-range correlations. Our approach is based on the relation between binary correlator of a site potential and the localization length. We give the algorithm to construct numerically potentials with mobility edge at any given energy inside allowed zone. Another natural way to generate such potentials is to use chaotic trajectories of non-linear maps. Our numerical calculations for few particular potentials demonstrate the presence of mobility edges in 1D geometry.

The Fermi-Pasta-Ulam problem: Fifty years of progress

A brief review of the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU) paradox is given, together with its suggested resolutions and its relation to other physical problems. We focus on the ideas and concepts that have become the core of modern nonlinear mechanics, in their historical perspective. Starting from the first numerical results of FPU, both theoretical and numerical findings are discussed in close connection with the problems of ergodicity, integrability, chaos and stability of motion. New directions related to the Bose-Einstein condensation and quantum systems of interacting Bose-particles are also considered.A brief review of the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU) paradox is given, together with its suggested resolutions and its relation to other physical problems. We focus on the ideas and concepts that have become the core of modern nonlinear mechanics, in their historical perspective. Starting from the first numerical results of FPU, both theoretical and numerical findings are discussed in close connection with the problems of ergodicity, integrability, chaos and stability of motion. New directions related to the Bose-Einstein condensation and quantum systems of interacting Bose-particles are also considered.

Experimental observation of the mobility edge in a waveguide with correlated disorder

The tight-binding model with correlated disorder introduced by Izrailev and Krokhin [Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 4062 (1999)] has been extended to the Kronig–Penney model. The results of the calculations have been compared with microwave transmission spectra through a single-mode waveguide with inserted correlated scatterers. All predicted bands and mobility edges have been found in the experiment, thus demonstrating that any wanted combination of transparent and nontransparent frequency intervals can be realized experimentally by introducing appropriate correlations between scatterers.The tight-binding model with correlated disorder introduced by Izrailev and Krokhin [PRL 82, 4062 (1999)] has been extended to the Kronig-Penney model. The results of the calculations have been compared with microwave transmission spectra through a single-mode waveguide with inserted correlated scatterers. All predicted bands and mobility edges have been found in the experiment, thus demonstrating that any wanted combination of transparent and non-transparent frequency intervals can be realized experimentally by introducing appropriate correlations between scatterers.

Mobility edge in aperiodic Kronig-Penney potentials with correlated disorder: Perturbative approach

It is shown that a non-periodic Kronig-Penney model exhibits mobility edges if the positions of the scatterers are correlated at long distances. An analytical expression for the energy-dependent localization length is derived for weak disorder in terms of the real-space correlators defining the structural disorder in these systems. We also present an algorithm to construct a non-periodic but correlated sequence exhibiting desired mobility edges. This result could be used to construct window filters in electronic, acoustic, or photonic non-periodic structures.

Quantum chaos: localization vs. ergodicity

Abstract Results of theoretical and numerical studies of the quantum chaos are presented, and our current understanding of this phenomenon is discussed. The main attention is focused on the localization and ergodicity in classically fully chaotic quantum models, and on the related statistical properties of energy spectra as well as of eigenfunctions.

Quantum chaos and thermalization in isolated systems of interacting particles

This review is devoted to the problem of thermalization in a small isolated conglomerate of interacting constituents. A variety of physically important systems of intensive current interest belong to this category: complex atoms, molecules (including biological molecules), nuclei, small devices of condensed matter and quantum optics on nano- and micro-scale, cold atoms in optical lattices, ion traps. Physical implementations of quantum computers, where there are many interacting qubits, also fall into this group. Statistical regularities come into play through inter-particle interactions, which have two fundamental components: mean field, that along with external conditions, forms the regular component of the dynamics, and residual interactions responsible for the complex structure of the actual stationary states. At sufficiently high level density, the stationary states become exceedingly complicated superpositions of simple quasiparticle excitations. At this stage, regularities typical of quantum chaos emerge and bring in signatures of thermalization. We describe all the stages and the results of the processes leading to thermalization, using analytical and massive numerical examples for realistic atomic, nuclear, and spin systems, as well as for models with random parameters. The structure of stationary states, strength functions of simple configurations, and concepts of entropy and temperature in application to isolated mesoscopic systems are discussed in detail. We conclude with a schematic discussion of the time evolution of such systems to equilibrium.

Enhancement of localization in one-dimensional random potentials with long-range correlations.

We experimentally study the effect of enhancement of localization in weak one-dimensional random potentials. Our experimental setup is a single-mode waveguide with 100 tunable scatterers periodically inserted into the waveguide. By measuring the amplitudes of transmitted and reflected waves in the spacing between each pair of scatterers, we observe a strong decrease of the localization length when white-noise scatterers are replaced by a correlated arrangement of scatterers.

Onset of chaos and relaxation in isolated systems of interacting spins: Energy shell approach

We study the onset of chaos and statistical relaxation in two isolated dynamical quantum systems of interacting spins 1/2, one of which is integrable and the other chaotic. Our approach to identifying the emergence of chaos is based on the level of delocalization of the eigenstates with respect to the energy shell, the latter being determined by the interaction strength between particles or quasiparticles. We also discuss how the onset of chaos may be anticipated by a careful analysis of the Hamiltonian matrices, even before diagonalization. We find that despite differences between the two models, their relaxation processes following a quench are very similar and can be described analytically with a theory previously developed for systems with two-body random interactions. Our results imply that global features of statistical relaxation depend on the degree of spread of the eigenstates within the energy shell and may happen to both integrable and nonintegrable systems.

Localization in correlated bilayer structures: from photonic crystals to metamaterials and semiconductor superlattices.

In a unified approach, we study the transport properties of periodic-on-average bi-layered photonic crystals, metamaterials and electron superlattices. Our consideration is based on the analytical expression for the localization length derived for the case of weakly fluctuating widths of layers, that also takes into account possible correlations in disorder. We analyze how the correlations lead to anomalous properties of transport. In particular, we show that for quarter stack layered media specific correlations can result in a ω-dependence of the Lyapunov exponent in all spectral bands.