Quantum Chaos

The Quantum Chaos Group is comprised of eight members led by Professor Rainer Leonhardt.

Collectively, we examine the difference in behaviour between quantum mechanical systems and the corresponding classical systems.

We carry out research in the field of quantum chaos. Quantum chaos is the study of how quantum systems can mimic classical chaotic dynamics.

The Schrödinger equation is a linear equation and so ultimately quantum systems, which obey the Schrödinger equation, should not be able to exhibit non-linear, or chaotic, dynamics. However chaos does exist in the everyday world and since classical mechanics is just a limiting case of quantum mechanics, this chaotic behaviour should be inherent in quantum mechanics also.

The particular system that we study is called the kicked rotor. The kicked rotor is basically a pendulum, but the potential is turned on and off instead of being on constantly. Classically this is a chaotic system when the strength of the potential is sufficiently large.