Experimental Observation of a Time-Driven Phase Transition in Quantum Chaos
Résumé
We report the first experimental observation of the time-driven phase transition in a canonical quantum chaotic system, the quantum kicked rotor. The transition bears a firm analogy to a thermodynamic phase transition, with the time mimicking the temperature and the quantum expectation of the rotor’s kinetic energy mimicking the free energy. The transition signals a sudden change in the system’s memory behavior: before the critical time, the system undergoes chaotic motion in phase space and its memory of initial states is erased in the course of time; after the critical time, quantum interference enhances the probability for a chaotic trajectory to return to the initial state, and thus the system’s memory is recovered.
Domaines
Physique Quantique [quant-ph]Origine | Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s) |
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